No One Else Can Know
by MistressDeDraco
Summary: Hermione/Draco. Harry's in a coma. Hermione feels guilty and wants to help. Voldemort is rising in power and there is only one way to stop him. Surprisingly Hermione must work with Draco in order to bring about the Dark Lord's final destruction.
1. Watching And Waiting

Disclaimer: No I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters or anything else related to Harry Potter. However, I do believe that I own the plot. Not that it counts for much, but it's something.

Chapter 1

Watching and Waiting

It was one the darkest and coldest nights of January. The night sky was filled with dark ominous clouds, covering the moon, leaving the woods in complete darkness. The only light came from the illuminated castle, where most of its inhabitants were fast asleep with no knowledge of what was to occur that night. 

She stood on the edge of the forbidden forest draped in her invisibility cloak. Her gaze, trying to penetrate beyond the trees, looked deep into the menacing woods. Her field of vision just barely passed through a few rows of trees, but she dared not enter the forest. There were fiendish creatures that lurked within the trees. She had no wish to see herself killed that night.

The chill from the snow had finally reached her feet and she stamped them with impatience. The tower clock chimed, telling her it was 10:45. If he didn't show within the next fifteen minutes, she would return to the castle. She had waited nearly an hour in the snow, and it appeared that he was not going to show that night.

Looking down on the ground, she checked to make sure her cloak covered every inch of her body. There would likely be quite a panic if someone were to look outside their dorm window only to see a lone leg standing by the forest. A smile came to her face when she thought of that. She could just picture one of the first years waking up his sleeping companions to tell them a severed body part lay on the grounds of Hogwarts. Slowly she walked back to the tree stump and sat down while arranging the cloak securely around her frozen body. 

The snow-covered ground was littered with her footprints. She couldn't shake this feeling of foreboding that seemed to be following her. She kept telling herself there was no reason to be so nervous. Nothing ominous was going to happen. But she couldn't prevent herself from standing up again to pace in front of the trees.

She glanced up at the smoky black sky. There would be a blizzard that night. There was no doubt about it. One didn't need to be an expert in Divination to know that. One could just smell it in the air. Already a few flakes had begun to fall, landing softly on the grounds. If she weren't so cold, she might have been able to enjoy the softly falling flakes. Watching the lazy downward drift of snowflakes had always been a favorite pastime for her. Mother Nature could be so beautiful. The blizzard of course would be a good thing. By morning, no one would know she had been there. An invisibility cloak may prevent anything from seeing you, but it didn't cover up tracks in the snow.

Just then, the sound of hoof beats approached her straining ears. Whoever was coming towards her from the forest was advancing at a run. Her gaze returned to the woods, attempting to locate the source of the sound. There was no doubt in her mind that this could be anyone but Nutricius. No one else would be out on a night like this in the Forbidden Forest.

Suddenly a large shadow seemed to come alive through the trees directly in front of her. It was as though the forest had become animated with the sole purpose of destroying the girl who so thoughtlessly disturbed its realm. The shadow appeared to be heading straight towards the hidden girl, as though it knew she was there waiting. At last it came into her line of view.

It was no ghost or trick of the night that came tearing out of the dead foliage. What came towards her was decidedly real, with the face of a god. Bronze skin that looked as though it belonged on a beach, and eyes as blue as the Caribbean Sea. His hair was a golden brown that lightly fell across his forehead, and his muscular torso was that of a well-trained athlete, glistening slightly with sweat from the run. She would have said he was the most beautiful man she had ever laid eyes on if it were not for the rest of his body. When the god-like torso ended, the body of a horse began with the same golden brown hair. This was no man that came bursting out of the trees towards her, rather it was a centaur.

However, before the centaur managed to reach her concealed form, he seemed to tumble to the forest floor. Expecting him to get back up, she just stood there waiting. But the wait was in vain. The centaur did not even move.

Rushing to the fallen creature, she called out to him. "Nutricius!" But the sound did not reach his ears. Instead her cloak trapped her call beneath its folds.

"I forgot to say the spell," she muttered to herself, and quickly said "Auditio Nutricius."

Once again she called out his name "Nutricius!" just as she reached his side. Sinking to her knees, she cradled the dying biform head in her lap.

"Hermione?" questioned a rasping voice coming from the fallen animal.

"Yes, it's me. Shush. I'm going to try and find Dumbledore."

"No, there isn't time."

"But…"

"I have the information we needed…" Nutricius was seized by a violent coughing fit. Hermione couldn't help but notice the blood that was brought up with each cough. She could see the life slowly draining from his beautiful blue eyes. Already they had lost their vivacity. He seemed to be just clinging to life.

"It's Lacrimosus."

"What's 'Lacrimosus'?" Hermione asked. The strange word had no meaning to her. She couldn't remember ever hearing it before. But once again, Nutricius began a fit of coughing. Blood was now trickling down from the corner of his mouth.

What seemed little more than a whisper, he said urgently, "Just find Lacrimosus." Taking one final breath, he closed his eyes and let go of the hold he had kept on life.

Looking up from Nutricius' lifeless face lying in her lap, she noticed for the first time a silver dagger lodged deeply in his back. The silver hilt protruded out from the river of blood caused by the deadly wound. What caught Hermione's attention the most was what lay at the end of the knife.

It was a skull, but not just any skull. In the eye sockets rested two blood-red rubies, that despite the dark night seemed to glitter as though liquid. However, the most gruesome part was the snake that came jutting out of the mouth like a tongue.

Hermione could not prevent a shiver from running down her spine. This was no ordinary dagger. There was only one group of people who would have kept such a disgusting piece of weaponry. The one who threw it was no doubt one of Voldemort's Death Eaters, and the murderer could still be in the forest, watching, and waiting…

* ~ * ~ *

Author's Note: This is my first fanfiction, but don't go easy on me. I really want to know what you thought of it, so please review. I know that this chapter didn't really tell you much about what's going to happen, but I promise you'll find out everything later. This story _is_ going to become a Draco/Hermione fic, but you're going to have to wait a bit before the action begins.


	2. Die Again and Again

Disclaimer: No, I still don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters. The plot is mine, but that really doesn't leave me with much. Maybe if I beg J.K. Rowling for Draco she'll give him to me—It's worth a shot eh?

Chapter 2

Die Again and Again

Hermione looked up from the dagger as panic seized her heart. Was the murderer still out there? Her gaze swept across the surrounding trees, once again attempting to see what might lie in wait. The murky trees prevented her from seeing anything, and her ears strained to hear a sound. But all was quiet. Her mind began to ponder whether or not the murderer might have overheard her conversation with Nutricius, but then remembered they couldn't have heard her. When Dumbledore presented her with the cloak, he explained just how unique it was. Unlike Harry's, Hermione's prevented any sound made by her from being heard. To speak to someone she had to pronounce the word "auditio," followed by the person's/object's name who she wished to speak to. If she didn't specify a person, anyone or thing could hear her. To reverse the spell she just had to say "silentium".

If the person had heard Nutricius speak, hopefully he would just assume it was the ramblings of the dying creature. She should be safe, right?

She could detect no movement from the trees, but couldn't be sure there was no one lurking in the shadows. Slowly she stood up, and began cautiously approaching the forest, in search of anything or anyone left lurking in the shadows.

There was no one around, but it was obvious there had been someone. A very distinct pair of footprints could be seen under a large oak tree. However, there were no tracks surrounding them. At first this puzzled Hermione. The only way someone could leave a lone pair of footprints in the snow would be to have apparated there, but you can't on Hogwarts grounds. But then it hit her. The Forbidden Forest was not part of the Hogwarts grounds. Obviously the witch or wizard that threw the blade apparated to do the job, and disapparated right after. But one question still puzzled her. Why would a witch or wizard, well schooled in the dark arts, use a knife to kill? A spell would have surely done the job much quicker.

Hermione made her way back to Nutricius' body. The blood from the wound in his back had turned the snow around it bright red. His bronzed skin now looked pale, and his wet hair was plastered to his once beautiful face. Already the corpse was freezing, the life having left the body long ago. The snow had continued to fall, but now far more heavily. She knew if she left his body there, the snow would cover it in only a few minutes. Muttering the Mobilicorpus charm, Hermione led him towards the castle. Dumbledore would have to see the body. 

Glancing back at the trees one more time, Hermione would have sworn she heard laughter. The sound sent chills down her spine. That was the kind of laugh that bespoke of pure evil.

*~*~*

Hermione stood inside the castle, not knowing what to do next. She had to see Dumbledore, but surely he was asleep by now. She had removed her cloak and draped it around Nutricius' body, which hovered a few inches above the stone floors. This was one of the few times she wanted to be caught out of bed in the middle of the night. Even if it was by Professor Snape. But as she continued down the halls, heading towards Dumbledore's office, she came across no one. 

Finally, after reaching the stone gargoyle that guarded his office, Hermione noticed Professor McGonagall at the far end of the corridor.

"Professor McGonagall!" Hermione called. McGonagall was the next best thing to Dumbledore.

Minerva had just been heading to bed after a long meeting with the other teachers. She had been one of the last to finally leave, and going to bed was the only thing on her mind. She was halfway asleep already, but when she heard Hermione Granger call out to her, she came awake with a start. 

"Miss Granger! What do you think you're doing out of your room at this hour? It is _well_ past midnight. This is not the kind of behavior I would expect from the Head Girl…I'm afraid I will have to report this to Professor Dumbledore." 

Just then, McGonagall noticed a puddle of water right next to where Hermione stood. The snow on Nutricius' body had begun to melt and run off his body. The puddle seemed to ripple, as though something was dripping. Minerva began to inch closer to the puddle looking up at the ceiling. As she continued to advance on the puddle, her body ran up against something solid. She abruptly looked back down, but could see nothing blocking her path. 

Slowly she reached a tentative hand out directly in front of her, searching for whatever she just ran up against. 'If Miss Granger is out, perhaps Mr. Potter or Mr. Weasley are as well,' she thought.

Hermione saw McGonagall's outstretched hand searching the seemingly empty corridor. Realizing she must have bumped up against Nutricius, she yelled out to her, "No!"

But it was too late, McGonagall had found what she was looking for, and as her hand closed around the cloak, she pulled it off to reveal what was beneath. But when Nutricius' lifeless body was exposed, she could barely stifle a scream.

"Oh my! Is…Is he dead?" she asked while a look of horror and fear crossed her face.

Ignoring McGonagall's question Hermione quickly covered up Nutricius' body again. "I have to see Professor Dumbledore! Immediately! It's really important!"

"Yes…Of course. I don't believe he has yet gone to bed…I'll just try and find him. In the meantime I think it would be best if you waited in his office." McGonagall said looking at Hermione, as though not quite sure what to make of her. 'Did she kill this poor creature?' she wondered silently. Somehow she just couldn't picture the best student at Hogwarts doing something so cruel. 

McGonagall whispered to the door "Fizzing Whizzbees" and led Hermione up to the office. Hermione took a seat on one of the chairs across from Dumbledore's desk. She couldn't remember all of the times she had sat in that same chair before. However, none of those times were quite like this.

Finally she heard someone enter the office, and turned around in the chair to face Professor Dumbledore.

"Miss Granger, I was quite surprised when Minerva told me you needed to see me at such a late hour…She told me that it was quite urgent, but I'm afraid she left out any details. Perhaps you would like to explain…"

Slowly, Hermione rose up off the chair and grabbed hold of the invisibility cloak. She gave it a slight tug and the silvery material slid to the floor.

"Oh my!" Dumbledore muttered looking at the corpse floating just slightly above the office floor. "I certainly wasn't expecting this. What happened?" 

Dumbledore moved around his desk and lowered himself into to his chair. He leaned forward on the desk, clearly waiting for an answer from Hermione. But his eyes weren't on her. Rather, he continued to look at Nutricius with an expression mixed with disbelief and resigned acceptance.

Hermione sat back down in the chair and took a steadying breath before beginning. "I was waiting for him on the edge of the Forbidden Forest… by the large tree stump…where I always wait for him…" 

Glancing at her hands Hermione realized she had been wringing the invisibility cloak in her hands. She began to fold the sleek fabric and tried to steady her shaking hands. She couldn't understand why she was so agitated. She should be feeling relief right now. After she finished telling Dumbledore, it wouldn't be her problem anymore. But that was a lie. That night would haunt her dreams for the rest of her life.

Looking up from her lap, she glanced at Dumbledore, who gave her a reassuring nod to continue.

"Well, I was just getting ready to leave because it was almost eleven o'clock, but then I heard someone approaching at a run…I could hear hooves…I knew it was Nutricius so I waited…but just before he reached me he just fell down, and didn't get back up…I told him I was going to try to find you, but he told me there wasn't time…He died only a few moments later…There was nothing I could do to help him…" Hermione looked back down at her hands. Her entire body felt numb. She didn't feel any better having told someone. Suddenly she felt extremely tired. She must have been running on pure adrenaline.

"I'll send someone to go and search the area before the blizzard covers up any tracks left. I'm sure the murderer is long gone, but it's obvious who was involved." Dumbledore's gaze rested on the knife that was still embedded in Nutricius' back

Hermione looked up again. "There's only a pair of footprints under one of the oak trees. There aren't any tracks…" Hermione explained. "Whoever it was must have apparated to kill Nutricius…and then disapparated when the job was done."

"Well, someone should still look around, for anything you might have missed." Dumbledore replied as he stood up from the desk and walked around to stand in front of Hermione. "But for now, Miss Granger, I think you should go to bed. This has no doubt been a very stressful evening for you. I'm sure you could use the rest. Tomorrow is Saturday so you won't need to worry about classes. Try to sleep in and take it easy. I can tell your nerves have been stretched near breaking point." Hermione hesitated. "We'll talk more about this tomorrow, but I really think you need to get some sleep. It is nearing 2:00 in the morning."

"Yes…I suppose I need to get some rest…Well, good night Professor."

"I hope Morpheus claims you quickly Miss. Granger."

*~*~*

When Hermione returned to her dorm room, she nearly collapsed on her bed. She barely had the energy to change for bed. Her limbs were aching from fatigue as she managed to pull back her blankets and climb into her bed. Turning on her side, she noticed she had forgotten to close the window curtains, but couldn't force herself to get out of bed to close them.

The promised blizzard had come at last. The sky was nothing but a frozen blur of white. Vaguely she thought about whomever Dumbledore sent out into the woods. By now it would be impossible to see anything out there. All the tracks would be covered by then, even the large puddle of blood where Nutricius' body had fallen.

Distantly, Hermione heard the tower clock strike two. As she slipped into sleep, her dreams turned towards the first time she met Nutricius. 

__

It had been near the end of October, only a few days before Halloween. Usually everyone at the school was excited over the coming up feast, but not this year. Voldemort had been steadily gaining power over the last two years. He had nearly regained his former status, and a war seemed like the only possible outcome. The ministry was frantic. No one knew where Voldemort was, or who had become Death Eaters. Everyone was suspicious of the others, and Dumbledore was afraid they would try to shut down the school, especially after what had happened to Harry.

As Voldemort's power increased, Harry's scar had begun to burn more frequently. He was constantly passing out momentarily in classes, until that fateful day in potions.

They had been taking notes, when Harry fell to the dungeon floor, clutching his forehead and screaming in pain. Then, he was silent. Hermione knelt down next to his unconscious form and tried unsuccessfully to wake him. When that didn't work, Snape personally took Harry to Madame Pomfrey. They all assumed he would wake up in a few hours time, but when days had passed, Dumbledore sent for doctors from the Ministry who concluded that the coma was caused by "He-who-must-not-be-named" and that Harry probably wouldn't wake up until the Dark Lord was destroyed. But they weren't positive he would ever regain consciousness.

Hermione was determined to help Harry in any way she could. He had been one of her best friends who had helped her out countless times. This time she was going to return the favor.

Speaking to Professor Dumbledore, she asked if there was anything she could do to help the ministry with Voldemort's destruction. She was fairly sure he would tell her there was nothing she could do. She was just going to have to think of something herself. But Dumbledore understood why Hermione asked and two days later introduced her to Nutricius.

The day they met was a perfect autumn day. The leaves on the trees had all changed colors, from the brightest yellow to the deepest red. The fallen leaves covered the Hogwarts grounds, and a light breeze rustled the tree branches. There wasn't a cloud in sight, and the sky was the brightest blue. The air itself was so crisp and fresh, if it weren't for Harry's present situation, she would have been out enjoying the day.

She was so nervous about meeting the centaur. The only ones she had ever met were in her first year. Although they were very nice, and had saved Harry, she was left with the impression that they were a bit off their rockers. After all, they were obsessed with fate and not interfering in the lives of others, etc. But Nutricius wasn't anything like that. He had the most incredible sense of humor Hermione had ever come across, and he understood Hermione's need to help Harry. If he had been human, she surely would have fallen in love with him, or at least had a huge crush (even bigger than the one she had on Lockhart in the second year). Instead they became fast friends who worked extremely well together.

The incredible centaur was unlike most of his kind. Most centaurs lived by fate, what will come will come, but Nutricius believed you could make your own fate. He felt that the ensuing war with Voldemort was not limited to wizards, but was going to affect the entire magical world. Nutricius decided to become a spy for the ministry. As a creature of the forests, be often heard about everything that went on in the woods of England. He was able to either witness or, hear from word of mouth, nearly all secret meetings held by Voldemort and his death eaters.

Dumbledore appointed Hermione as a sort for secretary for Nutricius. She would do research for Nutricius and write up formal reports for the ministry. Perhaps it wasn't much, but she had felt like she was really doing something to help not only Harry, but all witches and wizards. It was Nutricius' primary mission to discover Voldemort's weaknesses.

Suddenly, she was in the Forbidden Forest. In the distance she could make out Hogwarts' shadow in the snow. She could see Nutricius running towards her and she was calling out to him, trying to warn him about the knife. But he couldn't hear her. She hadn't said the spell and so her cloak absorbed her cries.

Then she saw the knife flying out of the trees, landing in his back. His steps faltered, and he fell. Over and over again she saw him fall to the frozen grounds of Hogwarts as through he was in replay. And the same word echoed in her mind, 'Lacrimosus'.

Although Hermione remained asleep, she violently tossed herself on the bed as tears coursed down her cheeks. Her cries echoed off the stone walls in her room. There was no one to wake her from the horrible dreams she had, and so she slept on, watching Nutricius die again and again.

* ~ * ~ *

Author's Note: So here was the next chapter. I know we're still just explaining things, and Draco still hasn't appeared in the picture. But I promise he will show up next chapter. I also promise the story's not going to stay this depressing. I just had to start it out this way. It gets way happier in the later chapters. So I hope you liked it, and please, please, please review. Even if my story's shit, just let me know you read it. And if you hated it, tell me why. I'm dying to know what you people think.

Thank you to Sex & Diamonds, michelline, and HarryPotterWanter for reviewing. I promise there will be blatant rated 'R' things in this story. You'll just have to wait a bit.


	3. The Way She Could Affect Him

Disclaimer: I still don't own Harry Potter, or any of the characters associated to the books. I've been begging JK Rowling to let me have Draco, but she doesn't seem to be too keen on that idea. All I can say is selfish, selfish. I don't necessarily want him forever. Even an hour would be nice. Just imagine what I could do in an hour! *Wink Wink*

Chapter 3

The Way She Could Affect Him

Hermione groggily woke up as she realized something was glaring into her eyes. Rolling over, she faced her window and opened her sleep weary eyes. Her entire room was bathed in bright yellow sunlight streaming through the window. The blizzard had finally stopped some time in the night, leaving Hogwarts covered in piles of fresh white snow.

Laboriously, Hermione dragged herself out of the warm haven of her bed. Pushing the crimson covers to the side, she sat on the edge of the bed and surveyed her room. The mahogany canopied bed stood at the opposite end of the room from the door covered in crimson and gold. As the Head Girl she was given a room all to herself, which was extremely comfortable and spacious. Next to her bed on each side was an end table that matched her bed. In fact, all of the woodwork in the room matched, from the wardrobe to her desk. The desk was situated just beneath the window, which gave her an excellent view of the lake. The wardrobe was on the wall next to the door, and had far more room for clothes than she would ever need. Of course she had a bookcase, that was filled with books on every subject Hermione was interested (which was pretty much everything but Divination). The door led to the common room she shared with the Head Boy. Their rooms were situated along the main corridor.

Distantly, Hermione heard the tower clock chiming in the distance. It was only seven o'clock in the morning. She certainly hadn't slept very long, but there was little chance that she could fall back to sleep now that she was awake. She decided that it would be a perfect time to visit Harry. Most other students wouldn't be up this early on a Saturday morning.

*~*~*

After having a quick shower and getting dressed, Hermione left her room and entered the common room. It consisted of two comfy leather chairs next to the fireplace, a large sofa towards the center of the room with a coffee table directly in front of it, and a table against one of the walls next to a large window that led out to a small balcony. Her favorite part of the room was the leather chairs by the fireplace. There was no better place to curl up with a good book, provided the Head Boy didn't bother her. He could be such a prat at times. But it was empty now, which she had expected, so she walked across the room towards the exit, which was covered with a portrait of Elladora Vetteridge. She was the witch who discovered the use of Gillyweed when she nearly suffocated after eating some of the plant. She only recovered by sticking her head into a bucket of water. She was by far, one of the nicest portraits in Hogwarts, always very positive, and never pried, unlike the pink lady.

"Good morning Hermione." The portrait called as she exited the hole. "You're certainly up early this morning."

"Morning Elladora. Yeah, I woke up and just couldn't fall back asleep." Hermione responded.

"You certainly had a late night, I would have expected you to sleep till well into the afternoon. Or, at least that's what I would have done. Well, you enjoy your day."

"I'll try. See you later." Hermione called as she made her way down the hall towards the hospital wing.

She didn't really enjoy spending much time in the hospital. It wasn't exactly a happy place. The only reason a person ever went there was if they or someone they knew was hurt. But Harry was more than hurt. He was practically dead. Every time she went to see him, she left crying and feeling guilty for not doing enough to help him. She was convinced there was something else she could be doing, but couldn't think of what it might be. Now with Nutricius gone, she was left with nothing.

Entering the hospital room, she saw Harry lying motionless on the bed. His glasses were placed by the bed on a table. Next to the glasses was a copy of "Quidditch Through the Ages," lying open face down. Obviously, Ron had been reading it to Harry. No one else would have.

Hermione sat in the chair next to Harry's bed and gazed at his face. He appeared to be so relaxed. As though he didn't have a care in the world. His hair was as unruly as ever, sticking up in every direction imaginable. She leaned forward to gently brush the hair off his forehead to reveal the lightning shaped scar. She traced the white line with her index finger several times, just staring at his calm expression.

"I'm sorry Harry." She whispered, lightly holding one of his hands. "I've been trying so hard to help. I don't want to give up hope. But, I just don't know what to do anymore…I don't even know if you can hear me…I miss you so much."

Tears were now spilling over her eyes and down her cheeks, to splash against their entwined hands, but she didn't really notice. She was far too caught up in her grief.

She didn't pay any attention to how long she sat there while she just held his hand, wishing fervently that he would wake up. God! How she hated Voldemort! That he did this to one of her best friends. Why didn't he just die those seventeen years ago? Why did he have to come back? Why didn't he just leave everyone alone? It wasn't fair.

Wiping her tearstained face with the sleeve of her cloak, Hermione stood up to leave. She could hear Madame Pomfrey bustling around in the other room, doing God knows what. Hermione didn't particularly wish to see the woman because every time she did, Madame Pomfrey would give her a pitying glance, making her feel even worse about Harry.

Quickly, trying to make as little noise as possible, Hermione left the hospital wing and made her way downstairs to the Great Hall for breakfast. She chose a seat at the end of the Gryffindor table. She didn't feel particularly hungry, but figured she needed to eat something. Gingerly, she picked up a piece of toast and began to spread marmalade jam on it.

As Hermione was nibbling on her toast, a group of Gryffindors loudly entered the Great Hall. They were all dressed in crimson Quidditch robes, and had just finished an early morning practice. They were led by Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas who were discussing the Puddlemere United Team and the Irish National Team. The rest of the team followed close behind, with the last two being Ron and Ginny.

When the Ministry told them that Harry wouldn't likely wake up, or at least not for a while, the Gryffindor Quidditch Team had to find a replacement. Much to everyone's surprise, it was Ginny who was picked for the team. She was really quite good, but still no comparison to Harry.

The team sat down towards Hermione's end of the table and greedily began shoving food into their mouths. Dean glanced over at Hermione and gave her a smile. She gave a weak smile back before turning back to her food.

"Hey, you guys. Does anyone know why Hermione looks so sad?" Dean asked with genuine concern. Although she had stopped crying, her eyes were still blood shot and her face was rather pale.

"Probably got less than 100% on Flitwick's test yesterday." Ron answered sending a look towards Hermione that said he couldn't care less why she would be unhappy.

It was no secret around the school that Ron and Hermione weren't getting along anymore. After Harry collapsed, Ron began to spend every extra minute he had next to Harry's bed. He even did his homework in the hospital. If Madame Pomfrey allowed him, he would probably sleep there. It was no surprise that he was upset by Harry's condition. They had been best friends since their first year at Hogwarts. However, the school was shocked when Ron stopped speaking to Hermione, and began insulting her far worse than even Malfoy.

Ron was under the impression that Hermione didn't care about Harry. She spent so much time in the library that she only went to visit Harry a couple times a week. Of course she didn't tell Ron that she was looking up information for Nutricius, or that every time she went to see Harry she wound up crying. He interpreted her absence as her not caring. The rest of the school knew Hermione missed him, but for some reason Ron couldn't see that.

"Shut up, Ron!" Ginny cried crossly, sending a sympathetic glance towards Hermione. "Why must you always be such a prat?" 

Ginny missed Harry just as much as Ron did, and she understood what Hermione felt. Every time she saw Harry in the hospital, she couldn't help but cry too. Harry and her had just begun dating the last summer. It hadn't been easy for Ginny, especially since she had become Harry's replacement. Often, Ginny would come and sleep in Hermione's room when she was feeling particularly upset.

Having finished eating all that she felt she could manage, Hermione stood up from the table, heading towards her room. She decided to collect some of her books and go to the library. It would probably be almost entirely empty at this time. Not very many people would be doing homework this early on a Saturday.

Having reached Elladora's portrait, Hermione muttered "Frog Spawn". The portrait swung aside to reveal the common room, and Hermione stepped inside.

At first glance, she assumed the room was still empty, but was shocked when she saw a certain blonde Slytherin sitting in one of the large chairs by the fire. He was apparently studying his Transfiguration notes, but had looked up when she had entered the room.

For a moment Hermione was frozen in place, just staring at him in shock. Finally regaining the use of her limbs, she walked across the stone floor and entered her room.

'I don't know why I'm surprised to see him there. He is, after all, the Head Boy and shares the common room.' Hermione thought to herself as she collected her Potions notes and shoved them into her backpack. 'I guess I just expected him to be down at breakfast or doing something else other than studying on a Saturday morning.'

Quickly, she left her room trying not to look at the attractive Slytherin. Over the years, the once pale boy had grown into one of Hogwarts' finest looking male specimens, probably _the_ finest. He had grown considerably, now reaching a height of 6'2". His pale skin wasn't so pale anymore, rather a light tan, which accentuated his silver-blonde hair no longer slicked back with gallons of gel. His body was now rippled in muscles obtained from all the time he spent playing Quidditch.

As she walked across the common room, she couldn't help but notice that he didn't take his eyes off her. Despite herself, she took a glance at him and was surprised by what she saw hidden in the depths of his eyes. Surely she was mistaken, that couldn't be desire she saw directed at her? Turning away from the steel grey eyes, Hermione quickly rushed out of the room without even hearing Elladora call out a good-bye.

'Of all the guys in school that I have to be attracted to, it just has to be Draco Malfoy, doesn't it. Mr. Son of a Death Eater and going to join them, Malfoy. It's just some cruel joke of fate. Why couldn't he have just stayed the same arrogant prick he had always been to her? No, instead I have to become one of the dozens of girls here at Hogwarts who's fallen for him.' Hermione thought to herself as she blindly made her way through the halls.

Hermione had been quite fascinated by the changes she had witnessed in Draco. The majority of the females in the school were obsessed with his incredibly good looks, constantly giggling whenever he walked by. She had gotten a fair share of comments about them sharing quarters.

'No-wait, I haven't fallen for him. I just think he's cute. That's it. There's nothing more. Really there's nothing more…'

'Oh, I wouldn't say that. There's a certain body part you're _really_ interested in…'

'No! Eww gross. I don't think of him like that. You're disgusting.'

'His brain, you idiot. I was talking about his brain. But now that you mention it, you must be interested in that organ to think that I was. I'm you after all.'

'Shut up. Okay, so maybe he's more than cute. After all, his looks didn't make him Head Boy. But it's just a crush. Not really even a crush. I'm just momentarily blinded. For some reason I like him. But that will pass soon enough. Then I'll be back to being normal, crush free, Hermione Granger.'

But despite what she kept telling herself, she couldn't stop thinking about those cold grey eyes that for an instant weren't made of ice. That for one minute could have melted her on the spot.

'It's not fair for any person to look as good as him. It should be a crime…'

"God, Hermione! You have got to stop thinking of him! He's never going to see anything in you, so you're wasting your time fantasizing about him!"

Hermione didn't even realize she had just spoken aloud. She was far to engrossed in attempting to dispel her thoughts that seemed to dwell on a certain blonde Slytherin. Fortunately the hall was empty, so there was no one to witness her odd behavior.

*~*~*

Draco watched as she exited the common room. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her lithe body. The moment she had entered the room, he could sense her. As though she gave off some sort of signal when she came near. Even now that she was gone the image of her backside didn't leave his thoughts. He could still visualize the sway of her hips, and the exact motion she used to swing her hair over her shoulder.

'You're thinking of her far too often. It's not healthy. Hermione Granger is going to drive you insane, by no fault of her own.' Draco thought to himself, closing his eyes, willing her image away. 

'How could fate be so cruel. She's far too pretty for her own good. No she's way beyond pretty…she's gorgeous...a goddess…Athena. Incredibly intelligent yet at the same time strikingly beautiful.'

Over the years, Hermione's once bushy brown hair had tamed itself into gentle curls that fell halfway down her back. Her slender 5'6" frame made her one of the taller girls at Hogwarts, without looking like a giant. She had filled out to have unmistakable feminine curves. Albeit her breasts were not large, but they seemed perfect for her. There was no way any man would suspect her of being a tramp, yet they would all admire her womanly beauty. Ever since their fifth year, the girl who had once been passed over was now seen by all. It was no secret that there were many boys who fancied her, yet she remained oblivious.

Draco, however, had been attracted to her long before their fifth year. It was actually during their first year that his crush began. Of course it took him a while to admit to himself that he had a crush. The son of Lucius Malfoy would never fancy a Mudblood. Especially one who was doing so much better than him in all of their classes. His father used to constantly remind him that her grades were better than his. Not that he gave a shit what Lucius thought anymore. He was dead now, and had no more say in Draco's life. Hermione was a woman to be admired and sought after.

'She might not feel the same way about me.' Draco thought with a smirk. 'But eventually she'll come around. It just might take a little work.'

Draco sat in the chair gazing into the fire yet not seeing the flickering flames. Instead he saw Hermione's smiling face, her bent over her books in the library, her laughing in the Great Hall. Oh, the sound of her laughter. It was like music to his ears. He couldn't help but smile at the sweet sound. 

Instantly his fantasies were no longer focused on just watching her. Suddenly he was wrapping his arms around her narrow waist as he lowered his lips to claim hers. Her soft lips crushed against his own. Their breathing coming in ragged. 

He could hear her sigh of ecstasy as the kiss deepened from the gentle touch of lips, to a hungry exploration of each other's mouths. Her knees getting weak and her arms clinging to him for support.

Ever so gently he would carry her to his bed and lay her down upon the down bedspread. Her smiling face looking up at him as she pulled him down to her ravenous lips. His hands gently caressing the swell of her breasts…

"Fuck!" Draco groaned to the empty room, glancing down at his lap. His Transfiguration notes had long been forgotten on the floor by the chair.

He sent a furtive glance towards the portrait hole before carefully standing up. 'I shouldn't be surprised it happened. Considering my line of thought. But really, out here in the common room. She could be back any minute. I would have expected more from you.'

Draco made his way towards their shared bathroom, and began running water for a shower. He gave a derisive laugh. God, the way she could effect him.

*~*~*

Author's Note: Well that was chapter 3. I told you I would have Draco in this chapter, and I did. I know you didn't see much of him, and he didn't even say something, but you did get to hear his thoughts. Next chapter he will speak, and there will actually be some interaction between him and Hermione. I hope you liked it. If not, I'm sorry. Flame me if you want. I really don't care. I like to know what people think of my story. So please review.

I'd like to say thank you to Sex & Diamonds, michelline, HarryPotterWanter, and The Blue Lady. I appreciate all of your reviews. 

Sex & Diamonds, you won't find out what Draco has to do with Nutricius until chapter 4. 

The Blue Lady, you made me feel so special. I never really thought about how sad my story must seem to begin with. I promise it won't stay this sad.


	4. That's What Friends Are For

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Harry Potter. All of those wonderful characters belong to the equally wonderful JK Rowling. However, I'm still crossing my fingers that she'll let me borrow Draco. I mean she is finished with the fifth book and she won't need him again until the sixth…

Chapter 4

That's What Friends Are For

At first, Hermione didn't notice Madame Pince standing next to the table. She had been up in the library for only a half-hour and was too busy trying to remember how Professor Binns said the first Minister of Magic got the position. It had something to do with the defeat of some troll, or was it giants? It had to be somewhere in her notes. She wouldn't have forgotten to write _that_ down.

"Miss Granger…" a rather stern voice said, finally breaking through to her.

"Huh?" Hermione asked looking up, finally noticing Madame Pince.

"Professor Dumbledore wishes to speak with you in his office."

"Oh. Thank you," Quickly Hermione shoved her notes into her backpack and left for Dumbledore's office. Suddenly she was struck by memories of the last night. He probably needed to ask her some questions regarding Nutricius' demise. She wasn't sure she could talk about it without breaking down into tears; not that Dumbledore would mind.

Before reaching Dumbledore's office, she realized that Professor Snape and Draco were standing next to the stone gargoyle. They were apparently waiting for someone, or something.

While she approached them she noticed that Draco's hair was wet. He had apparently just finished a shower, yet for some reason was shivering and his lips looked a tad bit blue. Vaguely she wondered if he was coming down with something.

"Nice to see Miss Granger decided to finally grace us with her presence. Thought it would be pleasant to make myself and Mister Malfoy wait while she spent her time idly wandering the halls?" Snape asked, eyeing her with something akin to disgust.

Hermione was sure he hadn't been waiting long. He had probably just arrived, but none-the-less she apologized. "I'm terribly sorry Professor. I had no idea anyone was waiting for me. Otherwise I would have made sure I hurried."

"Yes, well hopefully you will learn some manners before you leave this school. That will be five points from Gryffindor," Snape said as he turned to the gargoyle and mutter "Acid Pops." Immediately the statue shifted back and the spiral staircase began moving up to the office. All three stepped on a stair as the door closed behind them.

'What the fuck? How was I supposed to know anyone was going to be waiting for me? Besides I didn't take that long to get here anyway. As soon as Madame Pince told me to go down to Dumbledore's office I left the Library. I doubt he was even waiting for long,' Hermione thought to herself as she scowled at the back of Snape's greasy head. 

After reaching the top of the stairs, Snape directed the two students into the spacious office. When they had entered the room, he abruptly turned around and exited, without a word to the curious pair.

"So, Granger, what do you suppose our dear Head Master could want with the two of us…" Draco asked, glancing at Hermione and taking a seat in one of the chairs.

She noticed that he was still shivering slightly, although his lips had returned to their normal color. 

"Madame Pince just told me Professor Dumbledore wanted to see me. She didn't say anything else."

"Snape didn't tell me anything either. I had just stepped out of the shower when Elladora told me Snape was waiting outside in the hall. He just told me I was to go see Dumbledore," Hermione could have sworn that he blushed slightly when he mentioned his shower. "But, you really have no idea?"

"No. I honestly don't know why he asked the two of us here. Although I would have figured that you being Mr. Omnipotent would know _that,_ Malfoy," Hermione said sarcastically. She had thought Dumbledore wanted to speak to her about Nutricius. But if Malfoy was there, it had to be about something different.

"Oh, _I_ see. So you _don't_ know everything. Never thought I'd see the day," Draco smirked. "What is the world coming to?"

"Oh? But perhaps I do know, but just don't wish to share. Maybe you're here because of me. Maybe I told Professor Dumbledore that you've been walking around our common room in the nude. Possibly he just wants to confront you with your problem, and feels that I should be here to explain the situation."

'Did I just say that? What was I thinking?' Hermione was thoroughly shocked with herself.

"Well, if you did tell him that, I would just have to explain that I was 'walking around in the nude,' as you put it, after making love to you all night long," The smirk on Draco's face only grew larger.

"I'm afraid that is not why I've called the two of you here today," As if on cue, Dumbledore walked into his office.

Hermione turned a deep color of scarlet. She could not believe Dumbledore had just heard their exchange. Draco on the other hand did not appear to be in the least bit flustered. Rather just amused.

"Unfortunately, you have both been called in here for unpleasant news. Miss Granger already knows, but this is going to come as quite a shock for you Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore's eyes did not hold their normal twinkle and his face appeared very grave. It was obvious that whatever the news, it was indeed unpleasant.

Both Hermione and Draco looked at each other with bewildered expressions on their faces. Neither one knew what he was talking about, but supposedly Hermione already knew.

"I think you'll have to explain yourself a bit more. Both myself and Malfoy are a bit confused," Hermione said, prompting Dumbledore to continue.

"It's about Nutricius…" Dumbledore said quietly yet with purpose.

Hermione looked at Draco quickly. 'What would a future Death Eater know about Nutricius, and why would Dumbledore be talking about him,' She thought as she began to cry against her own will.

Draco looked at Hermione wondering what she could possibly know about Nutricius, only to see her eyes fill up with tears that began spilling down her cheeks. Draco's gaze returned to Dumbledore. "What about Nutricius?"

"Last night, Nutricius was murdered by a Death Eater, Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore looked even more grave having said this.

"What?! How?!" Draco never expected this. He knew something terrible must have happened, but he was hoping for something a little less grievous.

Hermione had begun to sob outright into her hands. Her entire body shook with every breath she managed to swallow in between her tears. Slowly she was able to regain her composure, and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her robe. Her eyes were still full of tears, but she knew she had to have control over herself. She had managed much of the day without tears. Surely she could do it now.

"I see I have a lot to explain to both of you," Dumbledore started, looking at the two students sitting before him. "I guess I should start by telling you that you were _both_ working with Nutricius. You both asked me to help with the Ministry's efforts against Voldemort. Being young students still at school, there were only a few options open. But then Nutricius decided to join our forces. Being a centaur, there were certain things in the wizarding world that he didn't fully understand. He was going to need someone to help clarify things, prepare the reports for the Ministry and to do needed research. This would be a lot to ask of one person who also had schoolwork to manage. However, it would be perfect to split the work between two persons. We decided that you would each alternate nights meeting him—"

"But why weren't we told about each other?" Draco asked, interrupting Dumbledore. Logically he couldn't see why. If they had known about each other, they could have worked together, and the work would have been done even faster

"To be honest, we really just wanted as few people as possible to know about all of this," Dumbledore responded, looking a bit sad for having to say it. "The Ministry has been having a heck of a dilemma with spies getting information back to Voldemort.. Which was why both of you were told to keep your work a secret, and why we issued you both invisibility cloaks. The honest truth is that we can't even trust the teachers here at Hogwarts."

Dumbledore paused for a moment, as though unsure how to continue. "As I understand, the last thing Nutricius was working on was a plant that could possible destroy Voldemort once and for all," Dumbledore proceeded, looking at Draco and Hermione for confirmation.

"Yes, he actually came across Wormtail talking to himself in one of the forests. He was complaining about a mission Voldemort had just sent him on. He was supposed to find a plant that if ingested would essentially vaporize the person and destroy it. But before Nutricius could apprehend him, Wormtail apparated," Hermione answered. She had stopped crying altogether now, but looked as though she might begin again any moment.

"Yes, I—we, just haven't discovered what it is yet," Draco supplied, glancing at Hermione for confirmation. "Nutricius asked me, although I assume Granger as well to look at all of the books in the library to discover anything about the plant. We've been working on it for almost a month. For the last few weeks he's been asking forest creatures about the plant. He figured one of the creatures would at least know something about it."

Draco couldn't help looking at Hermione. She appeared so fragile, yet at the same time incredibly strong. He would have given anything to comfort her then, but knew that was out of the question. She would probably freak out.

"Well, I believe that someone, or _something_ tipped off Voldemort. He was on his way to speak to Miss Granger when he was struck in the back by this knife," Dumbledore held up the dagger for Draco to see.

There was no mistaking this weapon for anything other than an instrument belonging to one of Voldemort's many Death Eaters. The ruby eyes seemed to glow menacingly in the candle-lit office. The snake in the skull's mouth was just as disturbing in the day as it had been the night before.

"I don't understand. Why would they use a dagger to kill Nutricius? Why not a spell?" Draco asked, eyeing the knife with both revulsion and curiosity.

"I believe that whoever killed Nutricius wanted his death to serve as a warning to others. This knife would certainly serve as a deterrent to others, since it's enchanted to never miss its mark. As soon as the dagger left the owner's hand, Nutricius didn't stand a chance. I doubt the killer even bothered to stick around to watch Nutricius die, which is a good thing. If he had stuck around, I believe he would have discovered our Miss Granger," Dumbledore's eyes landed on the doleful girl before him.

Draco heard Hermione's quick intake of breath and saw the fear flash across her eyes. The idea of her murder disturbed Draco immensely. He was surprised that it scared him so much to think of her as dead. 'If I didn't know better, I'd swear I was in love with the girl.'

"Miss Granger, did Nutricius say anything before he died?" Dumbledore asked, interrupting her wandering thoughts about her possible murder.

"Lacrimosus. The only thing he said was 'find Lacrimosus'," Hermione answered. She was still as confused by the word as she had been the night before.

"I don't remember ever hearing the word 'Lacrimosus' before. It might have something to do with the plant he was looking for. He might have managed to discover something just before his death," Dumbledore said after pondering the strange word for a while.

Looking at Hermione, Draco said, "We could continue looking into it. If we were to work together, I'm sure it would go a lot faster than before, especially if we have a word to go off of. If there is anything in the library mentioning 'Lacrimosus', we should be able to find it."

"I think it would be a great idea for you both to continue your work together. I believe the information will likely be found in the Restricted Section. Of course, Madame Pince knows you are allowed in there already. I don't think I need to remind you to keep this all a secret. Voldemort's spies are everywhere," Dumbledore sat at his desk, apparently deep in thought.

Together, Hermione and Draco stood up to leave.

"Granger and I will get on it right away, Professor," Draco said as he made his way to the exit.

Hermione followed close behind, her thoughts still with Nutricius. He had died trying to destroy Voldemort. There was no way she would fail him. Filled with fresh resolve she continued heading towards the exit. 'If the library has anything about that damned plant, I'm going to find it.'

"Oh, just as a matter of thought. If the two of you are going to be working so closely together, I would suggest that you begin using each other's _first_ names. You should be on friendly enough terms for that don't you think?" The twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes having returned.

Draco and Hermione looked at each other for a moment. There really was no reason to use last names. "Yes, of course Professor," they both responded as they left the office and headed down the stairs.

*~*~*

"So Gra–Hermione, do you want to get started right away, and go to the library, or would you rather start on that later," Draco asked when they stood in the hall.

"Huh? What?" Hermione asked. She had been so absorbed in her thoughts she hadn't really heard him say anything.

"Never mind. You obviously could use a good rest. We'll start working on it later." Draco said walking towards their dorm.

"I thought we were going to the library," Hermione said confused, trying to catch up with his long strides.

"I think it would be better if we started tomorrow. You're obviously very tired. I doubt you would really even be able to do research," Draco said turning around to look at her. She was incredibly pale, and her tears had stained her cheeks. Her eyes were rather bloodshot and looked as though she might start crying any moment.

Hermione stared at him. "What makes you think I'm so tired? Don't pretend you know how I'm feeling and what would be best for me. And even if I _am_ tired, that would never mean I couldn't do any research. I happen to be very good at researching, even when tired."

Hermione was clearly offended by what he had just said, but Draco knew she needed to sleep. She had been up very early that morning, and had doubtlessly gone to bed late. Combined with the emotional toll of Nutricius' death, she was probably ready to collapse.

"Okay, fine. If you're not tired, I am. I'm sorry. I just assumed you were tired too. Would you mind if we waited to work on this until tomorrow?" Draco said complacently. He didn't want her infuriated with him, forcing herself to work when she really didn't feel up to it. Obviously, her pride was not something to tackle with.

"Fine. We can work on it tomorrow then," Hermione said as she began walking towards their rooms again.

Draco followed close behind, trying not to smile at her. 'She could certainly be stubborn, and easily offended. She's still angry that I even insinuated that she was tired. He thought as he watched her practically run down the hall. She was walking so quickly she didn't even hear Nearly-Headless-Nick call out a greeting to her.

Reaching the painting, Hermione said the password, and walked into the common room without even looking behind her to see if Draco had even followed. She walked directly across the hard wood floor to her door.

Turning around, she looked at Draco who had just entered the portrait hole. "Well then, I hope you manage to get that rest that you seem so in need of," She said with a combination of sarcasm and lingering anger.

Entering her room, Hermione sat on the chair at her desk, debating about what she should do. She had finished all of her homework for the weekend, including the transfiguration essay due on Thursday. She could read, but truthfully didn't feel like it.

'Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to take a quick nap before dinner,' She thought as she slipped out of her robes and into her pajamas.

Taking a quick look outside her window before closing the curtains she saw it had begun snowing again. The Forbidden Forest looked especially frightening. The snow had collected on most of the evergreens, but the leafless limbs of the other trees seemed to be reaching out like bone-thin arms.

Turning from the window, she padded across the room and slid between the covers. Sighing with comfort, she turned on her side and promptly fell asleep. But her sleep wasn't to be as relaxing as she may have hoped. Once again her dreams were haunted by visions from the past. Images she just couldn't escape or help.

*~*~*

Draco watched Hermione enter her room and close the door behind her. 'She'll be asleep in minutes,' He told himself as he took a seat in one of the leather chairs and gazed at the orange flames in the fireplace.

'I can't believe he's dead. It really doesn't seem like reality. I would be meeting him tonight,' Draco glanced at Hermione's door. 'I can't believe she had to see that. It must have been horrible.'

Lost in his thoughts Draco remained sitting in the chair until he heard the tower clock strike five. He hadn't realized he had been sitting in that chair for so long. Taking a quick glance at Hermione's bedroom door, he stood up and left the common room. After saying good-bye to Elladora, he headed towards the Great Hall for dinner.

Both he and Hermione had missed lunch while they were in Dumbledore's office. He was famished and couldn't wait to eat. He hoped that Hermione would wake up in time to eat, but he felt guilty waking her from her much needed sleep.

'Well, if she doesn't come down in time, I'll just grab a plate of food from the house elves for her,' He thought as he sat down at the Slytherin table next to Crabbe and Goyle, both of which merely grunted as he took a seat.

*~*~*

__

Hermione wandered around the forest, searching for something, but she didn't know what. She kept turning around in circles, trying to see among the trees, but the moonless night offered no illumination. 

She reached into her robes trying to find her wand, but it wasn't there. Where could it possibly be? Surely she would never leave it anywhere. She couldn't help herself from panicking. She was outside in a forest, at night, alone, and without her wand.

Suddenly she could hear someone laughing. A cruel horrible laugh resounded in the deserted forest causing her to stop her frenzied searching and to stand as perfectly still as possible.

"Poor, poor, little Hermione. Your wand isn't with you, m'dear. I fear you managed to drop it along the way."

Frantically she tried to locate the source of the voice, but could see nothing in the darkened forest. She was so close to tears, but they would solve nothing.

She began running. Not knowing where, or in what direction. She just kept running, dodging trees that seemed to loom up out of nowhere. She stumbled on the underbrush, but kept going. Somehow she knew that if she stopped she was going to die.

Looking behind her, she would have sworn she saw something flying at her, but it seemed to disappear between the trees. She continued in her mad dash, branches ripping at her hair and clothing; but she didn't care. All around her, the terrifying laugh echoed in the cold night air.

Tripping over something, she fell to her knees onto the forest floor. Turning around, she saw she had tripped over a body. She had landed in a red puddle, splashing the liquid over her entire body. She was dripping in blood. Looking at the body she saw that it was Nutricius. Maggots had begun eating his flesh, and his eye sockets were empty. A large snake began slithering out of the mouth, hissing at her.

She managed to stifle her scream as she quickly scrambled away from the grotesque corpse, and began running again. She kept running until she nearly ran head on into a cloaked figure, just standing in the middle of the forest, unmoving. Backing away, she tried to run around the form, but every way she moved it was standing in front of her again. 

Finally she gave up and just fell to her knees and began crying. The figure raised its hand and she could see a glinting knife in its hand. She didn't have time to react before it was released and came flying directly towards her.

*~*~*

Hermione awoke with a scream. Panting, she sat up in her bed and looked around at her surroundings, trying to figure out where she was.

Realizing she was safely in her room, she let out a sigh of relief and laid back down on her pillows. Looking to her side she realized it was five thirty. Her stomach let out a growl as she remembered she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. Quickly she threw her robes back on and ran down to the Great Hall and sat next to Ginny.

The redhead smiled as Hermione settled herself on the bench and began piling her plate full of food.

"Hey Hermione. Are you feeling any better?" Ginny asked looking at Hermione sympathetically.

"Yeah. Just having an off day I guess. I had gone to see Harry earlier and was kind of upset," Hermione said, looking at her best friend.

"I know what that's like," Ginny responded.

Hermione happened to glance at the Slytherin table and noticed that Draco was looking at her. Vaguely she wondered if he was feeling any better having slept that afternoon when she realized he hadn't needed the rest he claimed he did.

'You are such an idiot Hermione. He told you that just so you would lie down for a while. You got so defensive when he suggested that you might be tired. I can't believe that you did that. Here he was being so considerate and you acted like such a bitch.' 

Quickly she looked away from him and at her plate in front of her.

"Do you want me to come over and sleep with you tonight?" Ginny asked, breaking Hermione out of her self-reprimanding reverie.

"Would you mind?" Hermione asked. "This afternoon when I had a nap, I had such a terrible nightmare. It would be so wonderful if you would be there."

Ginny smiled at Hermione. "Of course I'll be there for you. I'll go grab my stuff right after dinner and I'll meet you at your dorm, Okay."

"Thank-you so much. I don't know what I'd do without you," Hermione said, returning to her meal.

Ginny smiled, glad to see her friend in better spirits. "That's what friends are for."

* ~ * ~ *

Author's Note: Well, that was chapter 4. I do hope you liked it. I told you Draco would talk in this one. I tried to make him still seem like the cocky self-assured Draco we've all come to know and love. I hope you don't all think he's too out of character. I promise when he's around other character's he'll be more in character. So please review, even if they are flames. I don't care, I just want to know what people think of my story.

I do want to say thank-you to everyone that reviewed. I really appreciated every one of them. I like to know that people are actually reading my story, and like it.

michelline, Thanks for reviewing again. It's nice to know that you still like it enough to keep reading.

Shining Star, I hope you liked Draco in this chapter. I promise we're going to be seeing a lot more of him.

Crystalline Lily, Well, we aren't going to really find out who/what Lacrimosus is until much later. All we know right now is the word has something to do with Voldemort.

HarryPotterWanter, I hope you enjoyed the Draco/Hermione action. There will be much more of it in the later chapters. I can promise you that. I also learned of Elladora from the wizard cards. I just thought she sounded like a cool person, and so I made her a portrait.

tigerbrat88, I'm going to try really hard not to make it incredibly sappy, and I will try to draw it out for a while. They aren't going to just jump into each other's beds in the near future. Although that might disappoint some of the readers.

harrypotter4ever, I promise this story is not going to remain so sad. I guess her dream in this chapter was rather sad, but after this it gets much happier.

Sailor Moon Rose, No you don't have to do or say anything to get me to update the next chapter. When I'm finished with it I'll post it. Even if everybody hates it, I'll still post it.

Dreaming One, Draco's my favorite character too, and I promise I'm going to try and not rush the romance. However, if you think that I am, feel free to tell me and I'll try to slow it down.

Sex & Diamonds, It would have been hilarious if Draco had jerked off, but I thought the cold shower was equally funny. That also let Hermione see what he had just done, although she's a bit too dense to figure it out.

catherine, I hope you still like the story after this chapter. Your review made me feel so special.

Rhapsody, Every one that I emailed I found their names under "Playing With a Dragon's Fire. Ron's still in the story, but any romance occurring between him and Hermione is out of the question. This is after all a Hermione/Draco fic.

Brianna, As I'm sure you were able to deduce from this chapter, Draco did not kill Nutricius, and I promise the story is not going to remain this sad anymore.

tainted black, Yeah, Hermione used the Mobilicorpus charm to carry Nutricius up to the castle. He would be a bit heavy for her. Ron's just dense and doesn't realize how much Hermione misses Harry too. Unfortunately that means he pushes her away, and Hermione has a hard time seeing him as a friend anymore.

Starlit Night, Yes the name is pronounced like nutritious, except with an 's' sound instead of a 'sh' sound. The name Nutricius basically means mentor or guide, which he was to Hermione and Draco.


	5. Kiss Him Once Again

Disclaimer: I'm still not JK Rowling, which means I still don't own Harry Potter. Because if I did, I think I'd be a bit too busy with Draco to get any writing done. *Wink Wink*

Chapter 5

Kiss Him Once Again

"So, where do you think we should start?" Draco asked Hermione, eyeing the shelves filled from floor to ceiling with books on any and almost every subject.

They had both just come from the Great Hall after breakfast and decided that it would be a good idea to begin researching the plant as soon as possible. If Pettigrew found the plant before them, he would destroy it. Which meant they would be back to square one. As far as they could tell, this was their only shot at defeating Voldemort. 

"Well…Dumbledore thinks the information might be in the Restricted Section…I guess that would make sense. Any plant that vaporizes a person would probably be considered dark magic," Hermione answered, heading towards the blocked-off area of the library. "We don't have anything else to go off of, so we might as well start there."

Entering the Restricted Section, Hermione felt a slight tingle along her spine. That area of the library always gave her a feeling of trepidation mixed with fear and fascination. It seemed to scream at Hermione to stay away, but at the same time beckoned her to discover its secrets. There was so much knowledge locked away in there, only needing to be rediscovered. Of course, knowledge could be dangerous, especially in the wrong hands.

Together they began looking at the titles of books, trying to guess which ones might contain the needed information. They knew they were looking for a plant, but that didn't necessarily tell them where they could find it, and the state of the books made their search even more difficult. Many of the tomes were so worn they looked as though they would fall apart if they were disturbed. Others were written entirely in Latin, and although they both understood the dead language fairly well, neither wanted to pore through one of those large volumes if they didn't have to. Upon leaving, they each carried ten books apiece. Most were specifically pertaining to Herbology, while others were more of an overview of dark magic. 

Hermione directed Draco towards a small table in the far back of the library that stood in a rather dusty corner surrounded by equally dusty volumes regarding the Goblin wars and revolutions. There weren't very many students who cared enough about the topic to bother with that area of the library, which was exactly what they wanted. It wasn't entirely out of the question for the Head Boy and Girl to work together, but it was better to be on the safe side and avoid any speculation.

*~*~*

Madame Pince glowered at the two students exiting the Restricted Section. She still couldn't understand why Dumbledore allowed them in there.

'Never in all my years at Hogwarts has any student been given full reign over that area. I don't care if they are Head Boy and Girl, they don't belong in there. If I was the Headmaster, I would never have allowed it.'

But she wasn't, so there was nothing she could do about it. Yet she didn't forget about them. Even as she shelved away the returned books, she kept sending looks back to the hidden corner of the library they had disappeared to.

*~*~*

Draco and Hermione silently worked together at the table. They had been diligently working for five hours straight, and had missed lunch once again. The unfortunate thing about the old crusty books was that they lacked any sort of index. You were forced to turn every page, and hope you came across what you were looking for. It was a thoroughly boring and time-consuming process. In all the time they had spent there, they had only managed to go through six books each; none of which held the slightest clue. _Dark Discoveries_ only primarily dealt with complex potions requiring strange plants, but nothing specifically about plants. Hermione didn't even bother with _Moste Potente Potions_, she had looked through it before, and knew it never mentioned 'Lacrimosus' or any plant that could vaporize someone. _Enter Death's Door_ and _Quick Kills_ had looked promising, and had mentioned many different fatal plants, potions, and spells, but never once mentioned 'Lacrimosus'.

Leaning back in his chair, Draco broke the silence, impatiently asking, "What the hell does 'Lacrimosus' mean anyway? And do we even know if it has any relevance? None of the books here have even mentioned the damn word!" The chair came back down to rest on all four legs once again with a slight crash. 

Obviously Draco was getting frustrated, and this was only their first day researching. Hermione noticed Draco leaning forward on the table, waiting for her to reply. She could only wonder how he did so well in his classes if he couldn't stand looking through all those books for even a couple of hours.

"Well," said Hermione in a very matter-of-fact tone as she laid down the book she had just picked up. Looking at Draco's expectant face she continued, "I've been thinking about that a lot since the discussion with Dumbledore. I looked up the word and it translates to 'mourning' or 'sadness' in Latin. I don't exactly know how it fits into all of this, but Nutricius made it sound very important. I tried to ask him what it was, but…he died before he got the chance to explain…The last thing he said was 'Just find Lacrimosus'…"

For a moment both were silent. Hermione lost in her thoughts, reliving Nutricius' death with vivid clarity, and Draco absorbing the new information.

When Draco looked back at Hermione, he realized that her warm chocolate-brown eyes were once again brimmed with unshed tears. But she looked as though she was trying to fight them. Her face was angled towards the ceiling, as though she was hoping gravity was going to keep her from crying.

"I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" Hermione asked, looking down at Draco.

"I shouldn't have brought the subject up. I mean, you just witnessed a gruesome murder. You don't need a dick like me forcing you to remember it again." Draco said, looking genuinely apologetic, which wasn't something Hermione would have ever expected from him. In their first years at Hogwarts, he took exceptional delight in causing her grief. This just reminded Hermione how much he had changed, and how little she knew him.

"Don't worry about it. Obviously I'm not about to forget it anytime soon. I guess it's just going to be one of those things that's with me for the rest of my life. Besides, I'm not the only one who lost Nutricius. I doubt you're feeling too great about it," Hermione assured, trying to sound carefree as she looked at Draco.

'I wonder, is he really even upset? I don't know how he actually felt about Nutricius. He may have been the one to turn him over to the Death Eaters for all I know,' Hermione thought suspiciously. As much as she would like to trust that Draco had changed over the years into a better person, she still couldn't help remember the boy she thought she knew.

"Yeah. I guess it just hasn't really sunk in yet, you know. I mean, last night I thought about it. It was a bit weird not going out to see him like I usually do, but other than that, it almost just seems as though he's still away gathering information," Draco responded, looking thoughtful.

Hermione suddenly felt guilty. 'Either he's an amazing actor, or he's being sincere. It really looks as though he does miss Nutricius. And here I am questioning his lack of a visual display of grief. Not everyone's a fucking crybaby like you, Hermione.'

The two sat in an awkward silence, both feeling guilty; Draco for making Hermione remember the horrible incident, and Hermione for thinking that Draco would have turned Nutricius over to the Death Eaters. Neither one knew what to say to the other. The books on the table were long forgotten.

Hermione glanced out one of the frosted windows to see snow lightly falling from the sky. Suddenly she had an incredible desire to go for a walk outside. The library felt suffocatingly warm and the chairs too hard. The tears were still threatening to spill over her eyes, and she couldn't stand the idea of Draco watching her cry again.

"I think I'm going to step outside for some fresh air. I don't think I can look through another musty book today," Hermione said as she began stacking the books they had looked through and moved to put them away.

"Don't bother. I'll get them," Draco assured as he put his hand on her arm to stop her.

"I think I can manage a few books," Hermione said, feeling slightly defensive.

"Look, I'm not trying to insinuate that you can't. I just figured there was no point in us _both_ putting away books. Besides, I thought you were desperate to get out of here anyway," Draco replied, slightly angry, as he too began to get defensive.

"Oh…um…thanks," Hermione said, feeling guilty once again.

'He doesn't think I'm leaving because of him, does he? Because it really doesn't have anything to do with that. I just had to get out of the library. Okay, so part of the reason is because I don't want him to see me cry again, but he's not at fault for my tears,' Hermione thought, as she put the books back down on the table and began walking toward the door, but stopped and turned back around.

Draco was still standing where she left him; his eyes still trained on her. 

'I can't believe I just made her cry. And now, she can't wait to haul ass out of here,' Draco thought in disgust with himself.

For a moment, Hermione just stood where she was in indecision. Not knowing whether to just leave or explain herself. Finally making up her mind, she walked up to Draco, and standing on her tiptoes lightly kissed his cheek, before saying "Thank-you."

"What was that for?" Draco asked, looking down at Hermione, confusion clearly written across his face.

"For last night. When you claimed you were tired, just so I would go to bed instead of researching in the Library. It was really…nice of you." 

With that, Hermione turned around and left the library, heading towards their common room. Anyone who passed her could have seen her cheeks burning a bright red, in an unmistakable blush.

'Why on Earth did I do that? I just kissed Draco Malfoy. Well, on the cheek, but still. What could have possessed me to do that? I don't even know if I can trust him, and yet already I'm practically jumping him. Well, he can't be all bad if he was working with Nutricius. Regardless, I shouldn't have kissed him,' she chastised herself.

Entering the common room, Hermione went to her room and quickly grabbed her winter cloak and a scarf. Heading outside she called a quick good-bye to Elladora.

"I wonder what could have made our Miss Granger blush?" Elladora wondered aloud. "I wonder, could she possibly have fallen for a boy? She could definitely use some romance in her life. The poor girl spends far too much time either studying or crying over her unfortunate friend Harry."

But Hermione was halfway down the corridor, and didn't hear Elladora's musings. If she had, her face would have probably turned an even darker shade of red, if that was even possible.

Finally she exited the castle and the cold winter air stung her flushed face. It was a nice change from the overly warm library. For a moment she just stood there, feeling the frozen flakes melt upon contact with her fair skin. Finally, she began moving, walking towards the Quidditch field. 

Passing the Quidditch stands, she continued walking until she came across a large Evergreen near the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The long branches of the tree reached all the way to the ground. Pushing a few aside, she quickly glanced around to make sure no one was watching her, and then ducked beneath the limbs.

The branches that brushed the ground were actually about six feet up on the trunk, leaving a large open space that was protected from the wind and snow. Hermione had discovered the tree by accident. She had dropped her wand once and it had rolled beneath the needle-covered branches. Kneeling on the floor she had pushed the limbs away, looking for her wand, only to reveal the hidden sanctuary. That had been in their third year when Harry and Ron were mad at her about the Firebolt. She had come back ever since when she just wanted to be alone.

*~*~*

Draco looked out the window and saw Hermione walking in the direction of the Quidditch field. He still hadn't moved since she left. His mind remained focused on the kiss. He could still feel how her soft lips barely brushed his cheek. He had been so convinced she was upset with him. He had after all caused her to cry. Unintentionally yes, but she didn't necessarily know that. He had been such a jerk in the past; it would be difficult for her opinion of him to change in the course of one day. But that kiss had been entirely unexpected.

"Maybe I actually have a chance with her," Draco thought aloud.

Turning from the window, he began to collect the books left on the table, and noticed that Hermione had left her bag on the floor next to her chair. 'She probably didn't even realize she left it behind,' he thought as he picked it up. 'I'll just leave it for her in the common room. There's no use in her coming back up here to get it.'

Turning from the table, he failed to notice a certain red-haired boy scowling behind one of the bookshelves. He hadn't been standing there very long, but enough for him to see Hermione kiss the sick bastard.

"And he actually thinks he has a chance with her." Ron seethed, glaring at the tall Slytherin's back. If looks could kill, Draco would be a dead man.

*~*~*

Hermione made her way back into the castle, taking her time. She was heading towards the Great Hall for dinner, along with most of the other students. She felt incredibly refreshed after being outside, and although she hadn't forgotten about Nutricius, she didn't think she was going to cry. Under the tree she had spent a lot of time thinking about him, and of course crying, and had realized that being upset wasn't going to bring him back, and that he deserved much more than her tears. She was determined to discover the plant, and destroy Voldemort.

Taking a seat next to Ginny, she took a quick glance at the Slytherin table to see that Draco was looking at her. A slight shiver went down her spine. Not of fear, but perhaps anticipation. Unless she was entirely mistaken, once again he was looking at her with desire clearly written across his face.

"Hey, Hermione!" Ginny said enthusiastically.

"Huh? Oh, hi, Ginny," Hermione said, turning her head from the blonde to her best friend.

"So, what have you done to my brother?" Ginny asked smiling, pointing to Ron, sitting several seats down the table. He was glaring at Hermione in obvious anger. When he saw her look over at him, he averted his gaze, but the frown never left his face.

"I have no idea," Hermione said honestly. She was completely puzzled as to why he would be so incredibly angry. "Anyway, you have to tell me about Lavender and Dean. I heard today that they've hooked up…"

*~*~*

Draco watched as Hermione ate her dinner with Ginny Weasley. The two girls were giggling about something. Their laughter seemed to resonate throughout the hall. He almost smiled at the sound.

'Wow. I never realized how good Hermione looks when she laughs. Although she looks even _better_ when she's just come out of the shower, her hair still wet and smelling faintly of violets.'

'Stop thinking like that! You don't want to embarrass yourself in front of the whole school do you?'

But despite his self-reprimands, he still couldn't take his eyes off the breathtaking girl. His mind reverted back to the library. He could still see her as she stood on her toes, eyes slightly shuttered and oh so ever softly pressed her warm lips against his cheek.

"Damn it! Stop!"

Draco had meant to say that in his head, but somehow it had come out of his mouth. Half of the Slytherin table heard him.

Pansy quickly jumped away from him, her face blushing profusely. Her hand had been only inches away from stroking Draco's crotch. Oh, how badly she wanted him, but not once did he accept any of her advances. If she didn't know better, she would have sworn that he was gay. But a man like Draco could never be gay. He was too perfect. It would have been such a waste.

Draco turned to look at Pansy, noticing her blush and watched as her hand moved from his lap to rest on the table.

"What is wrong with you! Are you fucking blind? I'm not interested. Never have been, never will, so keep those nasty paws to yourself," Draco nearly screamed at the girl.

The entire Slytherin table, aside from Crabbe and Goyle, was now cowering away from him, sure that he was going to attack someone else next. Both Crabbe and Goyle were still engrossed in their meals, having long since grown accustomed to Draco's outbursts. 

Giving them all his patented Malfoy sneer, he barked out at them, "What the fuck are you looking at?"

Turning back to their food, they eventually returned to their previous activities of eating, poking fun at the other houses, and thinking of mischievous plans that would surely end in the loss of house points. Draco himself went back to his former thoughts.

'There's only one girl that I'm interested in…' Draco thought to himself as his gaze once again rested on the curly-haired girl.

'The only problem will be convincing her that I'm the only guy she should be interested in.' He couldn't help but smirk at that thought. 'Not that it should be much of a problem. Our research will of course mean we're going to be spending much more time together…**_alone_**. I'll just have to come up with a plan to seduce her.'

With that, he turned back to his meal, all the while trying to think of something that would cause her to kiss him once again.

*~*~*

Author's Note: I'm so sorry it took me so long to finally get this chapter out. I mean, it's been a whole week. Oh well, I hope this chapter was worth waiting. Next chapter we'll get to see Hermione and Draco's relationship bloom a bit more, and they'll discover something to help with their research. Anyway, please review. I love getting your opinions, and impressions. Even if you flame me, I still want to know what you thought.

If any of you have really good ideas of scenes I should have, I'd love to hear them. I have to have a lot of in-between time before they finally discover what Lacrimosus is, and what to do about it, etc. So if you really want to see a certain character, go to a certain class, or anything like that, just let me know and I'll try to work it into the story.

I know some of you expressed concern over Draco's character. I tried really hard to demonstrate in this chapter that he's kind of a different person when around Hermione. He wants her, and knows he won't get her by acting like a bastard. That doesn't prevent him from acting that way around his classmates though. 

On another note, I want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Your reviews really mean a lot to me.

Michelline, Yes Ron is a prat, and he's going to be an even bigger one.

harrypotter4ever, Well, there's still a bit of speculation as to whether or not Draco's really good, and we won't learn more about Lucius until later.

HarryPotterWanter, Snape is just a bastard who loves to take points off from Hermione and Hermione's a little naive at times. However, this is the magical world, so there might be some kind of sickness that makes your lips turn blue. Draco doesn't mind when Ginny spends the night, because they don't exactly bother him. However, if their relationship gets to the point where Ginny's presence might interrupt something *wink wink* then he might get annoyed.

tainted black, Yeah, the dream was just a nightmare. It was there just to show how disturbed she was over Nutricius' death and her concern that she could have been killed. I'm so glad you like my Draco. I got a lot of reviews complaining he was too nice.

Dark Vampire, I'm glad you didn't think it was sad in a bad sense. When I was writing it I really didn't stop to think how sad it would be for the readers, because the story really does wind up happy…in the end.

Lady Ashley, Yes, I promise my story does have an actual plot. I even wrote out an outline before I started writing. (Something I normally never do - teachers hate me for it)

Starlit Night, If you notice grammatical errors that I accidentally left in please let me know. I try to get them all out, but every now and then I miss them. Oh, and I still think it was really cool that you put Nutricius' name at the bottom of your author's notes.

Dreaming One, I'm glad that you like my Draco and Hermione, and that you don't think I'm rushing the romance. It will be there eventually, but I'm trying really hard to hold off on it a bit.

Rain-chan, I will tell you why Draco's on the 'good' side and how Lucius died, but it's going to take a while. I don't think I go into it until chapter 11. I know that's a really long time, but I thought it would be a bit boring if the first few chapters were all history.

some1, I'm so flattered that you added my story to your favorites, I mean I've barely started it. I just hope you continue to like it.

Brianna, I know the dream was a bit graphic, but it was a nightmare. I just wanted the readers to see exactly what she was dreaming about. I hope it didn't gross you out too much.


	6. The First Phase

Disclaimer: Nope, still not JK Rowling, although I sincerely wish I was. Then I would be both an incredible writer and own all of the HP characters. Although there's really only one character I'm interested in owning…*Wink Wink*

Chapter 6

The First Phase

Hermione and Draco sat together at their usual table in the far back corner of the library. An entire month had passed by since Nutricius' death and neither Hermione nor Draco had found a single piece of information regarding the mysterious word 'Lacrimosus,' or the equally mysterious plant. Every free moment they had was spent in the library attempting to discover even a mentioning of either the word or the plant. They had been searching through dozens upon dozens of books in the library, yet had barely made a dent in the number of books there.

"I never would have thought there would be a day where I wished the library didn't have as many books," Hermione groaned, rubbing the back of her neck. She had been bent over, scanning through books for over three hours.

"Yes, well look at it this way. The more books there are, the more likely we will find what we are looking for. I just wish there was a faster way to discover whether or not the book mentioned 'Lacrimosus'," Draco responded, leaning back in his chair. 

The chair let out a squeaky groan, causing Hermione to cringe at the sound and clench her fists. Normally she would have been able to ignore the irritating noise, but having spent three hours sitting on her arse, she was bound to be a bit testy. That added to the fact that she had noticed that whenever he got tired or bored he liked to lean on the back two legs of his chair. And _every_ time he did that, the legs would whine in protest. She could handle it every now and then, but for some reason that day he continued to do it every few minutes without fail. Listening to that for three hours was nearly driving her insane. 

In a blissful moment of self-indulgence, she imagined him falling backwards only to come crashing down on the library floor. His perfectly immaculate appearance would _have_ to be quite ruffled by the fall. Hair likely out of place, and robes falling over his head. Of course Madam Pince would have to be in the area and hear the noise and come to chastise him for it, while he tried desperately to regain his composure.

'Oh, yes. Just imagine perfect Draco Malfoy falling on his arse because he's a stupid git, who doesn't know how to sit on a chair properly,' Hermione thought with a smirk, but quickly rethought her previous imaginings.

'Wait a sec. You're obviously just irritated. Sitting here for so many hours has made you grouchy, and now you're being a bitch. Or well, at least thinking like one,' she reprimanded herself. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she took a quick glance out the window. Hoping that if she focused on something other than the incessant squeaking of Draco's chair that she would be able to get the noise out of her head.

Surprisingly, it worked. As she gazed out of the frosted window, she could actually feel her pulse relax. Already the snow had begun to melt, and was dripping off the roof of the castle. The sun had finally come out from behind the winter clouds, bathing the Hogwarts grounds in its light.

'I would so much rather be outside right now than in this stuffy library,' Hermione thought wistfully. The dust from the books had given her a headache that continued to get worse with every passing moment. She knew that if it didn't get any better, she was going to have to see Madame Pomfrey.

"I would have thought that with all of the genius spells those stupid witches and wizards have invented over time, they would have discovered something that would help in our search. They have spells for the most bizarre and mundane things so surely they devoted a few moments of their time to the problems of research. You know, like something that would highlight phrases you were looking for, rather than look at every page of a book and hope that the word or phrase was mentioned," Draco moaned, as the chair landed back on all four legs again.

Hermione had been so engrossed in her headache and looking out the window she really hadn't listened to what Draco had just said. She only managed to catch the last bit.

"What did you just say, Malfoy?" Hermione asked, shaking herself from her thoughts.

"You know…Dumbledore did tell us to use first names…" Draco said with a smirk. 

Hermione stared at him in shock. She had almost forgotten that Dumbledore told them that. For some reason, Hermione was just incapable of calling him by his first name. She had grown so used to their calling each other by last names, that first names just seemed weird. 

'Yet he has no problem calling you by your first name,' Hermione reminded herself. 'Obviously it's just a problem you have.'

"Come on Her-mi-o-ne," Draco taunted with a smirk, "Surely you can pronounce my name. It really isn't that difficult. You've managed to get this far is school, pronouncing even the most complex spells and charms. A name like mine couldn't possibly be more troublesome than those. Say it with me. Dr-a-co…I know you can do it…Dr-a-co."

Hermione glared at him, resisting the temptation to growl at him. He was sitting across the table smirking and taunting her while her head pounded against her skull. She had a strong desire to hex him. Perhaps she should hex his clothes off and let him run through the corridors in the nude. She wouldn't be the only one who got a laugh out of that. Of course she would have to get a hold of his wand so he couldn't get his clothes back or hex hers off. Unfortunately, that would definitely result in a detention for her, and she really did want to know what he just said.

"Draco…What was the last thing you were talking about?" Hermione said in a sickly sweet tone. However, there was no mistaking the hidden annoyance behind it. Had it been Ron or Harry, they would have known that she had been pushed too far and that it was best to do exactly what she said, and then run as fast as their legs would take them. 

"See, that wasn't so hard." Fortunately Draco wasn't entirely dense and picked up on her masked annoyance. Yet he couldn't pass up the opportunity for one more tease. At her continued glare, he got back down to the business at hand.

"Anyway, I was just complaining that all of the past wizards have managed to invent some of the most complex spells, for the oddest things, and that I would have thought they could have come up with something to help with our research," Draco answered, not quite understanding why she wanted to know so badly.

"Oh my gosh! Why didn't I think of it earlier? How could I be so stupid?" Hermione nearly cried out in frustration as she quickly put her book down and stood up to leave in a flurried rush.

Heading towards the library exit, Hermione turned around to Draco who was still sitting in his chair staring at her in confusion. "Get your arse out of that chair and follow me. I just thought of something that is totally going to help us. But I need your help, and that requires you removing yourself from that chair," Hermione called to Draco. 

Draco continued to look at her in confusion, making no effort to stand up. Glaring at him for a few moments, Hermione nearly screamed at him, "NOW!"

Watching him hastily make his way over to her, she continued to practically sprint out of the library, as though she were running from a fire. She vaguely felt guilty for the piles of books they left on their table for Madam Pince to put away. But then again, she was a librarian and didn't really have anything better to do with her time.

'What the hell is she talking about?' Draco wondered as he followed the quickly retreating girl.

"So are you going to explain what this thing is that is going to help us _so_ much, but requires my help?" Draco asked once he reached her, matching his strides with her own.

"Well, you know the last essay we had to turn into Snape regarding every witch and wizard that contributed to the discovery and use of fluxweed? Well, he had begun grading them just as I was leaving the class, and I noticed that every paper he came across, he muttered a quick spell that highlighted every name mentioned. I'm thinking that the spell he used could be used to highlight the word 'Lacrimosus' in any book we come across. That way, we would just have to look for a highlighted word, rather than read almost every page," Hermione said quickly as they headed down to the dungeons.

"Okay…so why do you need my help. Just ask Snape what spell he used and if we could use it with the books in the library," Draco said.

"Right. Because Snape just loves me so much that he would do anything to help me. In fact, he'll probably offer me milk and cookies while I'm at it," Hermione sneered sarcastically, giving Draco a look that clearly said he was an idiot for even suggesting it.

"If I asked him about the spell, he would probably tell me that I should know about it by now. He would then likely go to say that by not knowing the spell I'm demonstrating that I'm obviously not cut out to be Head Girl. In the process of telling me how I lack even the most remote form of intelligence, he would find some excuse to take points away from Gryffindor. You, however, are one of his favorite students. If you asked him about the spell, he would be more than willing to tell you everything about it. He would probably even reward you for being so observant to notice his use of the spell with points for Slytherin," Hermione said not attempting to disguise her annoyance towards their teacher.

"Yes, well you can't blame _me_ for being his favorite student. He just obviously recognizes intelligence," Draco said smugly.

"Rather, he probably fancies you," Hermione retorted.

"Yes, well I can't blame him for that either. If I were him, I would probably fancy me too. I'll just have to think of a delicate way of letting him down gently," Draco said with ill-disguised arrogance.

"Why? Are you too busy with Crabbe and Goyle?" Hermione shot back.

"No, I'm afraid I don't swing that way. Much to your pleasure I assume…" Draco said as he turned his smirk on full force and directed it toward Hermione.

"Why would I find any pleasure in knowing your sexual preference? It's not like I would ever be interested in sleeping with you. Truth be told, I would be much more relieved knowing you were gay. That way I wouldn't have to worry about you ever coming on to me," Hermione said haughtily.

'_Right_, because you don't fantasize about it every night,' Hermione thought secretly.

"Oh? Does the thought really bother you that much?" Draco asked huskily, stopping directly in front of her.

Hermione was forced to stop in her tracks and look up into the ice-blue eyes above her. Swallowing quickly, she tried to side step him, but he countered her move. 

"What are you playing at, Malfoy?" 

"There we are right back to Malfoy. Perhaps you need an enticement to say my first name, eh?" Draco leaned in and whispered into her ear, "But what would inveigle our dear Hermione?"

Draco was now dangerously close to Hermione and she slowly tried to back away from him. Knowing what she was attempting to do, he snaked out his arm, and caught her own, drawing her firmly against his chest. 

Hermione was entirely speechless, her breath caught in her throat. If she attempted to cry out for help, she couldn't have. But the truth of the matter was she hadn't even considered that option. She was far too curious about what he was suggesting, and didn't really think herself in any danger. After all, what could Draco possibly do to her, that she couldn't return tenfold?

Protesting no further, Hermione let her body relax against his. Draco himself relaxed a little when he felt her lack of resistance. She was still looking up at him, with something akin to curiosity and fascination.

"Perhaps, you and I just need to get to know each other on a more personal level," Draco said a he leaned down towards her, his lips only a mere centimeter from her own.

Hermione felt like she couldn't breathe, or move for that matter. Her entire focus was on the Greek god in front of her. She could feel the soft caress of his breath against her skin, and his hand that now rested on her cheek, lifting her lips to his. His incredibly masculine scent was clouding her mind.

Suddenly, the hall was filled with voices, waking Hermione from her temporary paralysis. They were standing in the middle of the dungeons, which meant it must be Slytherins going to their dorms. Abruptly, she pulled herself away from Draco, and once again began heading towards Snape's office. She may have momentarily forgotten their original pursuit, but was now more than ever determined to see him…quickly.

Reaching his office, she turned around to Draco who had followed her closely behind, all the while smirking slightly at her obvious shock regarding the previous event. He had no regrets for what almost happened. 'Well, except for the _almost_ bit,' he thought with disappointment. 'Don't worry, Hermione. I'll get you sooner or later. It's just a matter of time. My plan will be put into action soon enough. And when I'm finished with that, you'll be mine.'

"Okay, I don't know if he's in there or not, but if he is, just tell him that you noticed him using a spell that highlighted certain words in our last essay, and that you were wondering if he could possibly show you how to use it, or tell you where you might learn more about it. If he's not in there, I guess we'll just have to wait for Potions tomorrow," Hermione said in a rush, avoiding actually looking in his eyes.

"As you wish, m'lady," Draco said as he gave Hermione a mock bow, and knocked on the office door. A few seconds later a gruff, "come in" could be heard from the door. Immediately, Draco opened the door and proceeded to enter the dark office and close the door behind him, leaving Hermione alone in the deserted hallway.

Hermione stood outside the door impatiently tapping her foot on the cold stone floor, waiting for Draco to finally come out. If it had been any other professor other than Snape, she would have had no trouble asking them for the spell. But Snape was a professor that she avoided if she ever had the chance.

As the minutes ticked by Hermione's impatience rose to a whole new level. 'I should have just asked one of the other professors if they knew of such a spell. It probably wasn't a secret only Snape knows about.' Hermione thought, leaning against the slimy dungeon wall. 'But then again, it was probably easier sending Draco to do it. After all, Snape will probably be delighted to help Draco. He's always there to help a Slytherin in need.'

Yes, Hermione was slightly bitter about Draco's treatment. She knew that he was intelligent, but it infuriated her with how much he could get away with. He could be disrespectful to the other teachers, and the worst that would ever happen is he'd lose a few points for Slytherin. None of the teachers took out their anger on his grades. She didn't have to do anything to Snape and he'd still be extra picky with her assignments and potions. She was surprised that she had been able to do so well in his class. If she wasn't naturally talented at Potions, she was sure she'd be close to failing.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Draco ambled out of Snape's office with a proud smirk plastered on his face. He continued to walk right past her, without even acknowledging her presence.

"So…did he tell you about the spell?" Hermione asked as she trailed behind him.

"He might have…" Draco responded, his smirk growing even larger. Of course Hermione couldn't see that as she was behind him.

"What do you mean by that? _He might have…_" Hermione mimicked.

"It means that Snape may have told me about the spell, or he may not have. But the point is I'm not telling…Or at least not yet," Draco said as he turned around to face the flustered girl.

"Why the hell not? I was the one who told you to ask about the spell, and it would help both of us, not just me. There is no reason why you shouldn't tell me, aside from just acting like a complete and utter prat!" Hermione screamed at him. They were still in the dungeons, and every now and then a Slytherin would pass by, giving the two students odd looks. Despite not wanting to attract any undue attention, she was furious over Draco's behavior.

"Well, you may see no reason, but I do," Draco said with a mocking air.

"Would you perhaps mind divulging this mysterious reason?" Hermione asked, desperately trying to maintain her hold over her growing anger.

"You see, I did some thinking over this spell, and I realized that you were quite desperate to discover how to use it, thus it would be perfect for blackmail," Draco stated matter-of-factly.

Hermione stood there in complete shock, but quickly recovered. "Well, I knew you were low, I just never thought you would stoop to this level. So what are you planning to blackmail me for?" Hermione asked, glaring at him and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well you see, I haven't quite decided what for…yet. But don't worry, I'll decide soon enough." With that said, Draco continued up the stairs from the dungeon to their rooms. Hermione only a few feet behind, boring holes into the back of his skull with her glare.

Draco knew she was angry, and he couldn't help prevent a self-satisfied smile. She may think that he was just being a prat, but he had reason behind it. Having thought long and hard as to how he was finally going to capture the vixen he devised a plan that was guaranteed not to fail, and this was just the beginning of the first phase.

*~*~*

Author's Note: Oh, my gosh! I owe everyone who reads my story my biggest apologies. I had no intention of taking this long to write this chapter. I mean, it's almost been three weeks. And worse yet, it might be that long, or even longer before chapter 7 is up. I hope not, but I have AP tests coming up that I really need to study for. (For anyone living outside of the United States, AP tests are college equivalency exams that you can take to earn college credit.) Then I have to worry about graduation and everything. I'll try really hard to get the next chapter up soon, but please don't hate me if I take too long. 

However, if you all write really encouraging reviews, you just might spur my muse on and get that chapter sooner than I thought possible. So in other words, please review. It's not like I'm going to withhold my chapter until I get enough reviews, but they really do encourage me. I'm sure you're all wondering what Draco's going to blackmail Hermione for, and I promise you'll find out next chapter. And I'm sure some of you might have been a bit disappointed that they didn't kiss yet, but they will…eventually. *Wink Wink*

I still want to hear from you for any scenes or characters you want to see. I still have in-between time that I have to kill before they finish their research, and if other people give me ideas I find that I work really well with them. It also prevents me from having to come up with all of the scenes. So please let me know if you have any ideas, especially any funny ones. I love to add humor into my stories, and I'm sure some of you out there can think of funny scenes you'd like to read about. So, you can either leave them in your review, or email me at MistressDeDraco@yahoo.com I hope to hear some of them.

Moving on, I want to thank everyone who reviewed my last chapter and chapters. I absolutely love hearing from you, and hope this chapter wasn't a complete disappointment.

catherine, I know what it's like to answer the silent call of ff.net. Too often I find myself there when I know I should be doing something else. I'm glad to hear that you like my style of writing and that you can picture the scenes. While I'm writing, that's my intention. I can personally picture everything, and I try to write it so that the readers can too.

avivagirl, I got the DVD for Chamber of Secrets and there was an interview with Jason Isaacs' about why he played his character the way he did, and he said that he wanted to kind of make the viewers feel a tad bit sorry for Draco. So obviously he did a good job at his role to make you feel sorry for Draco. I did too, which is probably why I've written my story the way I have.

Dreaming One, Yes Ron does have a thing for Hermione still. I think we all gathered from GoF that Ron had a thing for her then, and in my story he's just never done anything about it. You'll see a lot more of that in chapter 8. No, Madam Pince didn't see the kiss, they're in the way far back corner of the library, so she wouldn't bother going back there very often. You'll find out why I've added her point of view later, but a big part of that was just to show how unusual it was for them to be allowed in the restricted section.

harrypotter4ever, Unfortunately it's going to be awhile until we find out more about Lucius. I hate to make you all wait so long, especially because all you know is that he's dead. I hope you won't get too impatient, but when you do find out more about Lucius you'll also find out all about why Draco turned to the "good" side. And no I don't think you're a pervert. This story is a romance between Hermione and Draco, and its also rated R. That rating is not for language or violence (although the first chapter and Hermione's dream was pretty graphic). It's just going to take a little while before they're finally 'together.'

Lady Ashley, You're more than welcome to use that quote, and that probably was the only intelligent thing Pansy will ever say in this story. I really don't have her a very smart girl in this fic. But that shouldn't be much of a problem, most people don't have her down as very smart.

Snakeyes, If you really hate Ron that much in my fic, you obviously haven't read some of them that I have. I know there are a couple where he attempts to rape Hermione, fortunately Draco saves her. However, I'm glad that you think I'm doing a good job with my characters. And Draco is kind of putting up a front. He's still rather cocky, but he's not evil or anything. He just gives off that kind of vibe to people because that's what they expect. Living in a house full of potential Death Eaters would force you to appear evil, even if you weren't.

Babu4490, I'm trying really hard to display Draco as rather cocky and arrogant, just not evil. I hope that with this chapter you can kind of see that, and when you see him interact with students other than Hermione that will become a lot clearer. He's rather nice to Hermione because he likes her, but that won't prevent him from being more Malfoyish in future chapters.

Aphrodite-Rose, Ron's not talking to Hermione because 1) He's a git 2) Somehow he's gotten it into his mind that Hermione doesn't care that Harry's in a coma. He seems to think that if she doesn't spend every free moment by his bedside, she doesn't care. And eventually Draco will carry out his 'plan' to seduce Hermione. We'll just have to wait and see where that goes from there.

HarryPotterWanter, Yeah, I know it was just a kiss on the cheek, but he's got feelings for Hermione, and considering how he's treated her in the past, a kiss on the cheek was an unexpected but pleasant surprise. We will actually see more of Lavender and Dean, but they're not the main topic of the story so it won't be too much. And Elladora will continue to make comments and look after both Hermione and Draco. You'll just have to wait and see what Ron's going to try to do to try and prevent Hermione and Draco getting together.

tainted black, Yes, Draco has changed a lot. After all, he's not the evil git most of us thought he'd grow up to. However, you're going to have to wait a while before I divulge the reason for the change. I don't think it really comes up until about chapter 11. I'm really sorry you'll have to wait that long, but I hope the wait will be worth it. We will also see that tree again. It's her sanctuary, so she'll go there whenever she's upset.

The Charmed One, Basically Ron is a stupid git who's really in love with Hermione, but because she doesn't spend every waking minute by Harry's bedside has convinced himself that she doesn't really care about him. However, he's also in love with her, and therefore is jealous that she's spending time with Draco and had the audacity to kiss him on the cheek.

casper, Ron's basically jealous and stupid, just like I told The Charmed One. Madam Pince has a stick up her ass, and acts like it. I guess this is partially how I see school librarians. At least that's how my school librarians act. She's also there to kind of show how unusual it is for students to be allowed in the Restricted Section. Take into account that in CoS, she got the book for Hermione, so as far as we know, no one is ever allowed to just walk around in there.

tigerbrat88, The whole thing with Lacrimosus will sort of remain a mystery for awhile. Seeing as Nutricius is dead, there isn't really any way to ask him what he meant by that phrase, but they'll discover it eventually. And yes, ff.net is stupid. I know for the last chapter I had to wait almost three days just to upload my chapter. Hopefully it won't take too long for you to read this one, nor that long for me to upload.

aku-neko, Yes, I kind of skipped the whole transition phase where Draco realizes that he's been a total git for the past few years and suddenly decides to change. I just didn't want to have to waste my time with that. I mean, my story's going to be long enough with out it. You will eventually discover why he changed, but the events that led up to it really aren't important to the story, aside from the self-realization bit.

nobody, I promise there will be a lot more than just a peck on the cheek. MUCH more, however, you are going to have to wait a little bit. I know there was an almost kiss in this chapter, but not to worry, I won't leave you waiting too long.


	7. Pleasures of the Library

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own anything related to Harry Potter. If I did, that would make me JK Rowling, and if I were her, I'd be writing the 6th book instead of this.

Chapter 7

Pleasures of the Library

Hermione sat in Arithmancy glaring at the back of Draco's head. He still hadn't told her what he was blackmailing her for, not that it mattered quite yet. Since the previous night, she hadn't had any free time to do any research in the library. However, she was still furious that he hadn't told her the spell.

'The pompous ass,' she thought. 'How dare he try to blackmail me. What would make him so certain I'm not going to go to Professor Snape for the spell? Okay, maybe because I wasn't willing to the other night, but if the slimy git doesn't tell me I'll find out myself. I'm not going to allow him to play me. I don't know what I ever saw in him. To think I once actually fancied him.'

Hermione continued to glare at the back of Draco's head. Fortunately that day's lesson was rather simple. Well, actually non-existent. Professor Vector had changed her plans for the day. They were supposed to be covering a new topic that day, but instead spent the class period discussing the previous night's homework. The majority of the students had trouble completing it and were still extremely confused. However, Hermione had no problem finishing it, as she excelled at Arithmancy. This left her free to glare at the blond Slytherin while silently chanting 'dick, dick, dick'.

'You know what you saw in him, and still do,' Hermione's mind taunted her. 'He's sexy…even charming when he wants to be. And of course you can't forget his mind. In case you failed to notice he's the only other student in the class who didn't have trouble with last night's assignment.'

Regardless how she felt about him sexually, she couldn't help but attempt to bore holes into the back of his head. Perhaps it was her attraction to him that made her so angry. It was absolutely infuriating that despite what he said and did to her, she still fantasized about him in her dreams.

Draco sat in his chair, with a slight smirk on his face. He could feel Hermione's eyes on the back of his head. There was no doubt about it. She was furious with him, and little did she know, but that was exactly what he wanted. 'Well, maybe not exactly what I want, but it works. She's thinking about me, whether she wants to or not. I'm occupying her thoughts. At the moment they might be a little unpleasant, but that will change soon enough.' Draco thought, as his eyes remained focused on their teacher.

He pretended to pay attention to what Professor Vector was saying, although it wasn't exactly important. He had completed the assignment with no difficulty, making the day's lesson completely irrelevant. Although, the class time wasn't entirely wasted. It gave him ample time to think about Hermione, and his plan. He had already begun the first phase, which was to make her constantly think of him. Whether those thoughts were good or bad was insignificant. The point was that he stays on her mind, and considering her unwavering stare, he knew she couldn't get him out of her thoughts. The difficult problem would be to make her continually think of him, even after the blackmail was finished. He had finally decided how to blackmail her. It had taken a lot of thought on his part, because it had to be something that would be better than going to Snape.

'She may not be happy about it, but I'm sure she'll consent,' Draco thought, his smirk only getting larger.

"Perhaps Mr. Malfoy would like to explain what he finds so humorous?" Professor Vector asked, shaking Draco from his thoughts. The rest of the class let out a couple of snickers, but a look from Draco quickly shut them up.

"I'm afraid it's an inside joke, Professor. It would be quite pointless to explain," Draco answered, seemingly unfazed. 

"Well, during class, I would prefer if you'd pay attention to the class discussion, instead of your daydreams," Professor Vector responded.

"I mean no offense when I say this, Professor, but today's discussion is quite pointless for me, as it is I assume for Miss Granger. We have both completed the assignment with no difficulty, therefore, the questions answered today are just a waste of our time," Draco replied.

A couple of gasps of surprise came from the class. No one aside from Draco Malfoy would ever utter such insolence to a professor. Hermione quickly looked up with surprise. It was one thing for Draco to get himself into trouble, but it was quite another if he brought her down with him.

"Miss Granger, is this true? Do you find my class pointless?"

"Oh no! I don't know where Malfoy got such an idea," Hermione answered in shock. Her face had turned a bright pink and she couldn't possibly look at Professor Vector.

"Have you finished the assignment with no questions, Miss Granger?"

"Well...um yes. But, I wouldn't say that makes this class pointless. I guess that just means I'm not getting as much out of this discussion as I usually do," Hermione answered, finally looking up at the professor. Her face was now bright red. 

'I can't believe Malfoy would do this to me. He's going to pay. He can count on that,' Hermione thought viciously. 'If Professor Vector is angry with me after this, Malfoy is dead.'

"Well, I understand that such bright pupils as yourselves might feel a bit frustrated when you're ahead of the rest of the class. Don't worry, Miss Granger, I'm not angry. I just wish you had spoken up earlier." Professor Vector smiled at Hermione. "You both are excused for the rest of the period. The assignment for this evening will be just to complete last night's, so neither of you will have homework to worry about."

Hermione sat dumbfounded. She had been so sure that she and Draco were going to get some sort of punishment, but it was clear they weren't going to get so much as a lecture. Seeing Draco gathering his stuff, she too grabbed her books, and shoved them in her bag. 

"Well, I think I deserve a 'thank-you' for getting you out of class," Draco suggested as she shut the door to the Arithmancy class.

Hermione turned to face Draco. The glare she had been sending him during class was now intensified. "What the fuck did you think you were doing!?!" Hermione screamed at him. "You are so lucky Professor Vector wasn't upset. Because if she was, I would make sure you rued the day you were born! I don't know where you got off thinking you could speak for me. I was perfectly content sitting in there doing nothing."

"You mean trying to light me on fire with your eyes?" Draco asked smirking at her.

"Yes! And you deserve such treatment." Hermione shouted. Her face was once again red, although this time due to anger.

Pointing a finger at Draco's chest she growled at him, "Don't you ever do something like that to me again. Do you understand?"

Pushing him out of her way, she began to stalk up to their common room. When she reached Elladora she practically shouted out the new password "Grindylow Fingers". 

"You know, you're actually quite cute when you're angry," Draco commented as he followed her through the portrait hole.

Stopping in her tracks, she turned around to face him. "Why don't you just shut up for once? I personally couldn't care less how you think I look, angry or not. You are a fucking bastard who deserves to be castrated by a rusty knife and I suggest that you leave me alone otherwise I'll do just that," Hermione retorted. Her death glare was back in place and the full force of it was directed at Draco.

"Then please forgive me, madam," Draco said while giving her a mock bow. "I had no right commenting on your fair appearance. You are truly too stunning for the likes of me to even lay eyes upon you."

"Oh! Stop acting like such an ass," Hermione exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air.

"Your wish is my command. But what animal would you like me to be?" Draco asked, amusement sparkling in his eyes as he slowly advanced upon Hermione.

"Why not a ferret?" Hermione asked smirking as she remembered fourth year. "But then again, it wouldn't be much of a change, now would it."

"Tried it once, but didn't really like it," Draco responded.

"But my wish is your command…" Hermione protested, while still glaring at him. "Don't tell me you're a liar now too."

"Are you wanting me to bounce too?"

"Of course. You are after all 'The Amazing Bouncing Ferret.' I would expect nothing less. However, I have already seen such a feat performed by you. I think it's high time I was treated to a different spectacle," Hermione responded with a smirk that sent Draco cautiously backing away. This time it was Hermione who advanced on him.

"I think we'll start out with a flobberworm," Hermione mused.

"There's no way I'm turning myself into a disgusting little worm," Draco protested with a sickened look on his face as he continued to retreat.

"Oh, I don't expect you to. It's _I_ that am going to transfigure _you_," Hermione stated matter of factly, and before Draco could move a muscle all that remained in his place was a fat brown worm flopping helplessly on the wooded floorboards.

"Oh yes, I do enjoy this view. I don't know why I didn't do this before. I would love to leave you this way, however even you don't deserve to be eaten by Crookshanks."

Pointing her wand at the wiggling worm, Hermione muttered the counter curse and watched as Draco Transfigured back.

"I can't believe you just turned me into a flobberworm," Draco scowled in indignation.

"What, you didn't enjoy flopping around on the floor? Because I quite enjoyed watching you. It's not every day that we get to see the infamous Draco Malfoy crawling around on the floor."

"Very funny. It's a good thing you liked your little show, because it's never going to happen again."

"I'm going to have to disagree with you on that," Hermione interjected. Turning him into a helpless little worm had released some of her anger, but she still hadn't forgiven him entirely. "Unfortunately for you, the show's not quite finished. I think we're going to have to change you into something else."

"Oh, no you're not. There's no way I'm going to let you transfigure me into another nasty creature just for your own kicks."

"We'll see what you can do about that," Hermione teased just before she waved her wand, turning Draco into what looked like a fleshy, pinkish mushroom covered in wiry black hairs.

"Oh yes, I am enjoying this game," Hermione taunted as she gazed down on the defenseless object. However, a hiss from the corner of the room let her know that Crookshanks was more than a little interested in Draco's new appearance. Quickly waving her wand, Draco once again returned to his natural form.

"That, madam, was unnecessarily cruel. There is no way I actually deserved to be turned into a Horklump," Draco grumbled.

"Oh yes you did. That stunt you pulled in Arithmancy was infuriating. Not to mention you're now blackmailing me. I'm going to get in every ounce of revenge that I possibly can," Hermione explained.

"Oh, I forgot about the whole blackmailing thing. It's a good thing you reminded me, else I might have given you that spell without asking for anything in return," Draco lied. "However, I promise not to forget again. Now, if you don't mind, I think I'll go to my room and think up a little revenge of my own."

"Go ahead. In the meantime, I just might go pay Snape a visit. Or if he's too busy perhaps McGonagall. Either way, I'll come back with the spell and you'll have nothing to blackmail me with," Hermione quipped. She wasn't going to let Draco bully her into anything she didn't want to do. He may think he had her cornered, but she'd prove him wrong.

"In case you were unaware, they both have classes at the moment," Draco explained with his patented smirk across his face. "I guess you'll just have to wait awhile. Besides, you don't have the guts to go to Snape, otherwise you would have gone sooner."

"Fuck," Hermione muttered under her breath. She completely forgot what time it was.

'Well, maybe Draco's blackmail won't be too bad,' she thought. 'Surely he wouldn't ask me to do something absolutely atrocious.'

"Oh I have the guts, but I'd rather not risk a detention when it's avoidable. So, whatever it is you decide to blackmail me for, just remember I can always get you back for it, and I _don't_ fight fair," Hermione attested as she sauntered past him. 

*~*~*

The library was empty aside from a few students sitting by the fireplace. Hermione and Draco were alone like usual at their table in the back. They had only been there for a few minutes. Snape had decided to assign a huge essay due the next day and both of them had spent the majority of their evening completing it. They were now left with only half an hour before the library was going to close for the night. Madame Pince had already started glowering at the students, hoping to frighten them out early.

"So, are you going to tell me the spell or not?" Hermione asked frowning.

"Well, like I said before, I'm holding it hostage until you answer my demands," Draco replied with a self-satisfied smirk.

"So you haven't decided to give up this blackmail thing. Not a wise move, however I'm curious as to what it's going to be…Have you finally decided or do you need a few more days for the wheels in your head to start spinning?"

"As a matter of fact, I have decided," Draco confessed leaning forward across the table.

"And…?"

"I'll teach you the spell…only if you'll kiss me." Draco stated simply.

"What?!" Hermione asked in shock. "You want _me_ to kiss _you_. Why? I thought you hated me. I'm surprised that you would ever consent to allowing a _mudblood_ like me even touch you, let alone _kiss_ you," Hermione said in confusion.

Draco winced at her words. Indeed his previous treatment of her was deplorable. She had every right to be suspicious, but he couldn't really tell her why he wanted her to kiss him. 'I can just see it now, _Oh Hermione. I've fallen madly in lust with you and whenever I see your heavenly face the only thought that comes to mind is how much I want to kiss those lips of yours senseless and then do terribly naughty things with you that would only make your mother blush. _She'd freak out, and only be more wary.'

"That's my offer. Either you kiss me or you go to Snape. Personally I would prefer kissing me, but that's no real surprise now is it."

'I can't believe he's requesting that I kiss him. What does he have up his sleeve? He's never once shown interest in me before, and then suddenly it's like every other second he's trying to make some sort of advance towards me.'

"Okay...fine. I'll kiss you. But just for the spell," Hermione explained as she stood up and walked around the table to stand next to Draco.

"Glad to hear," Draco replied lifting his body from the chair to stand in front of Hermione to wait for her to kiss him. 

Hermione looked at him warily before finally placing her hands on his shoulders, standing on her tiptoes and quickly brushing her lips against his. She then immediately stepped back away from him, as though she thought she could catch something from him by being too close.

"You call that a kiss? That's not going to earn you the spell," Draco taunted.

Hermione scowled at him, but once again moved towards him. She stood there for a moment contemplating how she should go about it. Draco seemed to sense her indecision, and placed his hands around her waist, drawing her body up against his. He looked down at her surprised face and grinned. "Thought you could use a little help getting started."

Draco placed one hand upon her chin and tilted her head towards his. Her mouth hung open slightly as she looked at him in wonder and surprise. His smoky grey eyes seemed to burn into her own and she could not look away. Those eyes that were once so icy and cold in his boyhood now smoldered with desire.

Slowly his mouth came down upon hers, sealing their lips together in a tender kiss that resembled a soft caress. Breaking away from the kiss his tongue lightly traced her bottom lip before once again claiming her mouth.

Hermione stood as firm and erect as she could. She absolutely refused to be caught up in his embrace. She was after all, Hermione Granger, bookworm, who cared nothing for the attention of boys. But Draco was no mere boy, he had grown into the most dashing young man of her acquaintance. However, there was no way she was going to let him know how often she fantasized about this exact event, or how much she was truly enjoying it.

Yet her resolve quickly melted away as he drew her closer to his body. Her breasts were pressed firmly against his chest, letting her feel the steady drumming of his heart. She could literally feel her knees weakening like they were made of butter. Her arms reached up and clung to his neck for support as his own hands were wrapped more firmly about her waist.

Letting out a small moan, Hermione was completely oblivious to the outside world. The entire library could have fallen down around them and she wouldn't have known. Her mind had gone completely numb and the only thing she was conscious of was the feeling of his body pressed against hers and the exquisite pleasure of his mouth. She was completely trapped within his embrace, and didn't want it any other way.

His probing tongue sought entrance to her warm mouth and she gladly complied. When their tongues first made contact, she couldn't help but jump back slightly in surprise. In her inexperience with men, she had never understood how incredible kissing someone could be. Until now, that is. 

Her hesitancy quickly vanished as she pulled his head down further to hers. She renewed their kiss with increased vigor as her own tongue sought his. Together, their tongues battled for dominance. Hermione easily yielded to him and allowed him to take the lead.

Draco's hands slowly traveled down her waist to cup her buttocks as he gently lifted her onto the table. Her legs immediately wrapped around his, drawing him up against her as her hands ran through the silky blond strands of his hair. They were both breathing heavily, neither wanting to stop.

His mouth gradually left hers and began to trail butterfly kisses down her neck. When her robes hindered his administrations, his deft fingers slowly removed them to reveal her white blouse beneath. Her robes then hung off her shoulders as he removed her tie and allowed it to drop to the library floor.

While his one hand worked at undoing the buttons of her blouse, the other gently fondled her breast. Hermione could not suppress her cry of pleasure as with every inch of skin revealed his kisses went lower and lower until he was kissing the gentle swells of her breasts. She herself began to remove his robes and let them drop to the floor next to her tie as her gentle hands caressed his muscular chest beneath the shirt. Ever since she had seen him step out of the bathroom with only a towel on after a shower, she had been dying to feel the hard muscles. Her hands quickly grew bolder and they began to reach lower until they stroked his washboard abs. Draco's quick intake of breath and husky moan let her know just how much she was affecting him.

She was suddenly desperate to feel his whole body against hers, so she grabbed him by the shirt to beckon him upon the table. He gladly complied and climbed atop her anxious form. Their passionate kissing continued and her delicate hands began to knead the muscles on his back. She could feel his apparent arousal pressed against the inside of her thigh. His weight was a comfortable pressure that allowed her to feel his warmth seep into the very core of her being.

Feeling the effect she had on him, Hermione was filled with a sense of overwhelming power. Rolling around on the table, she was pleased to find herself atop Draco, straddling his hips. Leaning over his willing body, she sensuously removed his tie with her teeth and tossed it to the floor. Their kissing once again resumed as she began unbuttoning his shirt to feel the hard, smooth muscles on his chest. Her hips inadvertently pressed against his own and he moaned into her mouth.

Suddenly the enraptured pair was interrupted by a very loud and close cough. Looking up in shock and embarrassment, Hermione saw the disapproving form of Madam Pince, who looked thoroughly disgusted by what she had just seen. There was no way of knowing just how long she had been standing there trying to gain the two libidinal teens attention as they had both been so fully involved with each other and oblivious to where they were. Hermione hadn't even stopped to think who might wander upon them.

She quickly got off the table blushing profusely. Through Draco's help, Hermione's shirt was half undone. Had she not been wearing a bra, her breasts would have been in full view. Her robes hung loosely around her shoulders, threatening to fall off any moment. Her hair was sticking out at strange angles, and her lips were a glistening red. Had someone chanced upon them at that moment, there would have been no doubt over what had just happened. Draco fared no better. His shirt was entirely undone, revealing his toned abdomen for all to see. His usually well-kept hair was still standing on end from her earlier administrations. His robes lay haphazardly thrown on the floor and his lips were also tainted red.

Looking away from them, Hermione quickly tried to put herself back together. She rebuttoned her blouse and straightened her robes. Running a quick hand through her hair, she tried to smooth down the unruly curls. Her tie of course lay next to Draco's discarded clothing and as she bent over to pick it up, he handed it to her while gently brushing his hand against hers in an intimate caress. He too had begun straightening his appearance.

Hermione's face had turned a dark crimson, and she refused to look either Draco or Madam Pince in the eye, but found the floor to be quite interesting. There appeared to be a large dark stain beneath a shelf of books pertaining to Ulric Vlagdonspeer. Oddly enough she did not recognize the name.

'I'll have to take a look at one of those,' she vaguely thought.

"Well!" Madam Pince huffed. "I would have expected more from our head boy and girl. However, it is obvious to see that the two of you are just as randy as the next. You should be thoroughly ashamed of yourselves."

Hermione had thought she couldn't blush any darker. She was painstakingly humiliated to have been caught in such a compromising position. Although, she was secretly thankful the old witch had shown up. There was no way of knowing what may have transpired between Draco and her next.

"I suggest that you return to your rooms," Madam Pince said as she gave one last disgusted look towards the two students.

Hermione immediately began walking towards the exit, far too embarrassed to look back at Draco. He was, however, following close behind, admiring the slightly disheveled look she had. Her robes were quite wrinkled, giving the appearance that she had either slept in them or did something else a bit more naughty. Although he now only saw her back, he had earlier noticed how her eyes had nearly shone with her desire and he could still feel the effect she had had on him.

"You needn't worry about Madam Pince, you know," Draco called to her as he caught up.

"Of course I do. She might tell Professor McGonagall, or even Dumbledore. I just won't be able live with myself if they knew what I just did," Hermione cried in despair.

'What we just did,' Draco corrected in his mind, secretly smiling.

"She's not going to tell either Dumbledore or McGonagall," Draco replied. "They don't have enough hours in the day to listen to her complain about every pair of students who use the library for their make-out sessions."

Hearing this, Hermione's blush reappeared. To hear about what they just did as a 'make-out session' was just too embarrassing for her. Truth be told, it was far more than just a make-out session and the two students knew full well. Which was the very reason Hermione was so ashamed over what happened. She had allowed herself to be seduced by Draco Malfoy and had eagerly responded.

"Lets' just not talk about it, okay?" Hermione asked. "I don't need any reminders."

"Fair enough. So…do you want me to show you the spell tomorrow?" Draco asked, changing the subject, but knowing he was really just reminding her about it. Every time she thought of that spell from now on, she would remember what had just occurred.

"Yes. I would like to learn it as soon as possible. We might have more time to work on research tomorrow and I believe the spell will be quite useful."

Draco was rather surprised that Hermione was continuing to treat him so coolly after what had just happened. Obviously it was going to take a little bit more than one kiss to turn her affections around.

"I'm sure it will help us reveal many of the library's secrets," Draco replied mischievously.

"Um, right," Hermione mumbled as she hurried off to their dorm, leaving Draco behind.

'I never realized just how valuable even the simple spells could be,' Draco mused as he continued after her. 'I believe it just revealed one of the many pleasures of the library.'

*~*~*

Author's Note: Okay, I know it's been a really long time since I've updated. The honest truth is I kind of gave up on the story. After reading the Order of the Pheonix I was really pissed off at Hermione and I just couldn't really bring myself to write anymore. However, Shaylee brought it to my attention that it really sucks when an author just quits. So, I'm going to try really hard to finish this for you guys. However, I apologize profusely if it's absolute crap. Oh, and I suppose this is now AU just because I don't want to bother trying to bring in parts of OotP. That would just be too hard.


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